The Woman in Scarlet
by tulip meadow
Summary: The Sisters Grimm discover another world, similar to the one they live in. Only it's the 19th century in there and there are no Everafters. What happens when the Scarlet Hand members want to collapse this world and the Grimms go to stop them?
1. The prologue

**The prologue**

Another cloudy day brought many new troubles to Fort Charming, even though Charming's army managed to beat the Scarlet Hand once more.

"The Scarlet Hand has found a gate to another universe!" Seven said. He and Charming returned from the battle with shocking news they got from a captured card soldier. Charming insisted they'd bring the news to the Grimms immediately.

The Grimms were shocked.

"What?" Henry cried.

"The universe is in fact very similar to ours," Seven continued. "There are humans and animals inhabiting it, there are many likenesses: the Earth, the gravity force, stars, comets, atoms, Pythagorean Theorem etc. But there's one major difference."

"What is it?" Daphne asked. "Something about the Everafters in there…"

"There are NO Everafters," Seven said. "There are fairy tales written down in books, but the Everafters aren't real there."

"Goodness!" Veronica was startled. "I can imagine the Scarlet Hand terrorizing the non-Everafter world…"

"Luckily, it's not that bad," Charming interrupted. "The thing is that the members of the Scarlet Hand have to disguise themselves as humans to get through that gate. Why do they need it so much? The answer is horrible: they plan to collapse that weak universe, thus damaging our world as well! We have to stop them!"

"But how?" Sabrina asked.

"We are having a meeting now. We'll figure it out!" Charming said and turned to Seven:

"Call for everybody's attention! Tell the army to come to the main tent."

"In a second, sir!" Seven saluted him and went away, leaving the Grimm family shocked and confused.

**Rather short and not so good… The next chapter will be long and interesting; from Sabrina's POV. I just had to begin with something; that's my first crossover fanfic.**


	2. Welcome to Cumberland!

****

Sorry, it's not from Sabrina's POV, but the next chapter WILL be.

Chapter 1. Welcome to Cumberland!

When all the inhabitants of the fort came to the main tent, Charming stood up and shouted for silence. It took a little time for the frightened Everafters to understand his command, but finally the murmuring and cries stopped. Charming raised his hand:

"Attention, everyone! Listen! It's immensely important! The Scarlet Hand put our own world in danger, indeed. But it has been the only world affected by the evil group – until today. Mirror found a way to open a door to _another universe_!

"Our prisoner, the Four of Diamonds, told us everything they discovered about this universe. It's like ours, there are only two big differences between them. First: there's the 19th century in that world. Second: there are no Everafters in it."

The crowd gasped.

"Well, the Scarlet Hand is planning to destroy this universe," Charming continued. "When it shatters, the catastrophe will affect our world as well. We'll face some weird changes, the Space and the Time blending and curving, and other bad damages. So you see now – we need to stop the Scarlet Hand before it breaks a whole world with billions of innocent people!"

"Sorry, I have a question!" Sabrina said. "We cannot open the gate to that world by ourselves, can we?"

"The Four of Diamonds gave us the secret of this trick," Charming said. "Unfortunately, he refused to tell us how an Everafter can turn himself into a human for a while. Mirror and his agents are going to do it – that universe can't stand Everafters, as you already know."

"Wait a minute!" Henry exclaimed. "If you plan to send someone to that world to stop Mirror, that will be us, the Grimms, I mean! We are the only strong humans in the fort!"

"There goes Henry Grimm," Charming grunted. "But, well, you're right."

"You have to send Daphne and me," Sabrina said. "Dad and Uncle Jake are needed here as fighters. Mom's the only mechanic in the fort, and she also has to look after little Basil. Oh, and I don't have an idea about where Granny is now. I doubt Mirror's going to walk into an unknown universe inside a body this feeble."

"Girls, you won't be sent there either," Henry snapped.

"Of course not!" Puck said. "Ugly, you need protection, and that freaky world doesn't like Everafters, so I can't go there. You'll die on your own!"

"Great!" Daphne rolled her eyes and then became serious:

"Please, Dad, Mom, Puck, you must understand the situation. If we don't do anything, that world is going to be destroyed by the Scarlet Hand, and many people will die. But Sabrina and I are experienced detectives, good fighters, and I'm an expert with magical items. We might save ourselves, along with that world!"

"Remember that our world would also be damaged if that one collapses," Sabrina added.

"This is definitely NOT awesome," Puck sighed.

* * *

…After hours of convincing Henry and Veronica to let the girls be sent into another world, Charming's servants started the preparations.

"Sabrina will go first, and Daphne's going to follow her a week later," Seven explained. "You are mostly going to work separately, but you mustn't lose each other. Jake will give each of you a magical communication gemstone with an instruction."

"But we have our mobile phones," Sabrina tried to argue. "I'm addicted…"

"I'm sorry, Sabrina, but it's the 19th century in this universe," Seven laughed. "Mobile phones aren't invented in there, you know. As for the addiction, well – try to fight it. There's no other choice."

Uncle Jake walked to Sabrina and Daphne and gave them two beautiful gemstones, with two detailed instructions. Both of the stones were emerald green.

"If one of you gets hurt, the gemstone of the other one will become red," Uncle Jake said. "And if one of you… er… dies, the gemstone of the other one's will turn into a piece of coal. Now you are both alive and well, so the stone are green, as you can see."

"Yay, like a traffic light," Daphne said and bit her hand with excitement.

* * *

Veronica and several fairytale princesses sewed an old-fashioned dress for Sabrina. It was sky-blue and it had puffed sleeves and lots of lace on it. Sabrina couldn't admit she liked this dress, but it suited her. Snow White instructed Sabrina about manners and behavior of a well-bred girl from the 19th century, so in two days Sabrina was perfectly ready to enter the universe. She hid a sharp sword inside her enormous sleeve and glued the magical gemstone to a hairpin.

She said warm goodbyes to her family and went to the fort's main gate. Charming was standing near it, mumbling spells.

"There it is!" he shouted so suddenly that Sabrina trembled. The gate was opened by itself, but there wasn't the usual dark forest outside. Instead, Sabrina saw a flash of blinding silvery light, and then a lovely scenery was revealed! A green field with beautiful flowers, a narrow country road running through it, and a clear sky with a bright sun. Sabrina noticed a young shepherd with a flock of white sheep.

"I mustn't allow a world this beautiful to be shattered!" she thought as she waved to Charming and stepped through the doorway.

A warm wind blew in her face. She smelled the sweet flowers and heard the songs of birds. She barely remembered to turn around and take the last look at the gate. It was disguised as a door of a tiny shack, but it surely led back to Fort Charming. Sabrina cried "Goodbye!" for the last time and went along the road.

Now she needed to know something: a) where she is b) who lives nearby.

"Hey!" she shouted to the shepherd. "I'm kind of lost, so couldn't you please tell me what place it is!"

"Oh, miss, it's Cumberland!" the shepherd said in a thick British accent. "Right now, you're not far from the wonderful Limmeridge House, the home of the Fairlie family."

Sabrina decided to learn more about this family, which seemed to be rich and famous.

"Fairlie... Fairlie... Something familiar to me," she said. "Who lives in Limmeridge now?"

"Mr. Frederick Fairlie, with his niece Miss Laura," the talkative shepherd explained. "Miss Laura's parents are both dead. Her father wasn't a good man but a handsome one. Her mother was a nice woman, as her former servants used to say. Miss Laura is pretty and kind, that's true, miss. And Mr. Frederick - a gloomy grunt, nothing more, miss."

"And do they have any relatives? I recall something about..." Sabrina thought for a while. "George Fairlie." She picked the name randomly. She decided she'd try to pretend to be a long-lost Fairlie relative. She had to find a shelter, after all!

"Ah, George Fairlie?.. No, miss, you might mean George Halcombe. He was the first husband of Miss Laura's mother, you see. He wasn't much richer than me, miss - a teacher or something like that. He's dead, miss. Mrs. Fairlie probably didn't have his kids, but nobody knows, miss."

"Oh yes. George Halcombe, a friend of my family's. Thank you," and Sabrina walked further down the road.

"It's nothing, miss," the shepherd said.

Sabrina made up her mind. She'd go to Limmeridge and claim to be George Halcombe's daughter. It would be dangerous to tell the Fairlies her real name, so Sabrina thought of a name completely different from her own: Marian Jennifer Halcombe. She hoped the Fairlies would believe her. If they allowed her to live in Limmeridge, it would be hard for the Scarlet Hand to find and capture her.

"Welcome to Cumberland, Miss Halcombe," she mumbled to herself.

**It's only the beginning. I'll try to update as soon as I can.**

**And I'm waiting for the new reviews!**


	3. The beautiful stepsisters

**Chapter 2. The beautiful stepsisters**

Sabrina's POV

Limmeridge was a large baroque villa, with a nice colorful garden. I smiled and thought that it looks too welcoming for a bad person's residence. I saw an old joyful door-keeper wandering near the gates and called:

"Hello!"

He noticed me and opened the gates:

"Good morning, miss! Could you please tell me your name?"

"Ms. Marian Jennifer Halcombe," I said without a moment of hesitation. "I'm the relative of Mr. Fairlie's."

"Oh, sorry, sorry, miss!" the door-keeper exclaimed. "I'll tell the lackeys, miss. Just a minute, just a minute, miss."

He ran to say something to the lackeys, the lackeys went to Mr. Fairlie's room to announce about my visit. The door-keeper mumbled some ridiculous apologies to me. I scowled and felt tired of this world already. When the lackeys finally escorted me inside the house, I was ready for the worst.

Mr. Fairlie was an old, fat man, with a sour expression on his face.

"Oh, my _nerves_!" he whimpered. "Don't slam the door, shut it gently! Welcome to Limmeridge, Ms. Halcombe. You chose to come here on a day when my nervous system is very ill. But – well, what do you want?"

Such a warm greeting, I thought. Luckily, the fake story of Marian Halcombe was ready, I made it up on my way to Limmeridge. So I put on a fake sad smile and started:

"Mr. Fairlie, please listen. I'm the daughter of George Halcombe and your brother's wife."

"They didn't have children!" Mr. Fairlie snapped.

"They did. My mother never actually loved me. When my poor father died, she brought me to her friend Mrs. Jones and, I presume, she forgot about me. Mrs. Jones brought me up and took good care of me," I continued my perfect lies. "But one night her house burnt down. I wasn't asleep, thus I was able to escape. Mrs. Jones died in this fire. I lost everything – the property, the documents, the money, my father's portrait," I gasped. "I only had enough money to get to Cumberland, because you and your daughter are the only relations of mine in this large world," I rubbed my eyes.

"OH, MY NERVES!" Mr. Fairlie looked on the verge of tears. "Why did Marie, my sister-in-law, keep such a secret? Why did she tell us she had no children? Miss… Marian, I believe you. You resemble your mother very much… I'll call our lawyer Mr. Gilmore to restore the papers you lost in the fire."

"Mrs. Jones's grand-niece may find some of the papers that weren't burnt down," I said quickly. "She might deliver them to me during this week."

"My ne-e-erves," Mr. Fairlie grunted. "Let's introduce Laura to you."

He called for Laura and she came to the room in a minute. She was a little younger than me, with auburn curls, rosy complexion and crystal blue eyes. Her smile was gullible and innocent, and she reminded me of Daphne.

"Well, Laura, your mother had a little secret. She and Mr. Halcombe had a daughter," Mr. Fairlie said. "Meet Marian Halcombe, your stepsister."

Laura clapped with happiness and hugged me.

"I've always wanted a big sister!" she told me. "My name is Laura! I hope we'll be friends!"

My smile became genuine. I remembered Daphne again. Mr. Fairlie demanded we'd go away and leave him alone with his nerves. Laura showed me every room in Limmeridge and every tree in the garden. She introduced me to the servants and even to the gardener's cat.

* * *

**Later that evening**

I went for a walk in the fields. At least, that's what I told Laura and "Uncle Frederick" – Mr. Fairlie. In fact, I went to the shack that held the door to our world. I half-stepped into the fort and called:

"Daphne! Mom! Dad!"

Everyone came running.

"What happened? Why did you return? Did you have an encounter with the Hand?" Charming asked.

"I need a fake ID," I explained. "A fake ID of a 14-year-old Ms. Marian Halcombe, daughter of George and Marie Halcombe."

"What? Why?" Daphne wondered. I told them everything about my disguise, and Mom said:

"A great idea! Daphne will be in Limmeridge tomorrow with the papers tomorrow morning. She'll call herself the grand-niece of Mrs. Jones."

"I'll think of a beautiful name for myself!" Daphne added. I said goodbyes to them again, and in an hour I was back in Limmeridge.

* * *

**The next morning**

Mr. Gilmore and Daphne came at the same time. Daphne had a fake ID for me and herself, she used a long quaint name for herself. I couldn't even remember it. Mr. Gilmore was a good lawyer, but he didn't see that the IDs were fake. The Blue Fairy created them, so it was hard to find out.

"Everything's true," Mr. Gilmore said. "This is Marian Halcombe indeed. All is clear."

Laura laughed and danced around the house: she was so glad to have a sister! Mr. Fairlie murmured something about "nerves".

"Good luck!" Daphne whispered to me before leaving. "I'll settle myself somewhere in London. There's London here as well."

"Be careful!" I said and we parted.

So, now I'm Marian Halcombe. I have an uncle and a beautiful young stepsister. Nobody suspects that I'm trying to find the members of the Scarlet Hand in the crowd of innocent people.

**The next chapters will be more interesting.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**


	4. Laura's fiance

**Chapter 3. Laura's fiancé**

Sabrina's POV

I've been here in Limmeridge for a week or so. I searched for the Scarlet Hand members in this house and in the neighborhood. As long as I can guess, there are only humans in this place. But I can't know for sure. Mirror and his followers are so clever; they can be hiding anywhere…

The only person who is certainly a human is Laura. She's so naïve and adorable; plus she lives with me, so I can watch her all day long. And if she was a member of the Hand, she would have killed me already.

But today I found a new suspect! His name is Sir Percival Glyde, he's… (shudder)… Laura's fiancé. He visited Limmeridge just to be polite, during his visits he drinks wine, talks with Mr. Fairlie about politics and ignores Laura.

It all started suddenly. Just this morning Laura warned me:

"Marian, put on your best dress today. Sir Percival Glyde is coming for a visit!"

"Sir who?" I asked.

"Sir Percival Glyde," Laura repeated and lowered her eyes. "He's my fiancé."

"Your _what_? You are twelve years old!"

"I said fiancé, not husband," Laura sighed. "We're betrothed since my birth. My father wanted me to marry Sir Glyde. Sure, he's twenty-five years older than me, but he's a baronet, Marian. Not a rich one, but he's a member of a well-known family. In seven years or so, I'm going to marry him. I'll be called Lady Laura Glyde!"

I was brought up in the 21st century, after all! I exclaimed:

"But Laura, you don't love Sir Percival!.."

"Shh!" Laura looked scared. "Marian, please don't. My parents' wills mentioned this marriage. I'm destined for it."

I didn't want to argue with Laura anymore. "Maybe that Sir Glyde is a nice man," I thought hopefully. "Poor Laura." I remembered that I'm kind of destined to marry Puck and sighed. I missed Puck terribly, though I didn't want to admit it.

Well, Sir Percival arrived in the afternoon. He was youngish, good-looking and well-mannered, but there _was_ something scary about him. Laura and I curtsied at him, he gave us a short cold greeting and suddenly looked at me closely.

"Your last name is…" he started.

"Halcombe. Marian Jennifer Halcombe," I said quickly. He gave me a _very_ suspicious look, but then shrugged and went to Mr. Fairlie's room.

"Let's go to the garden!" Laura was anxious to get away from her fiancé.

"N-n-no, Laura, I… I'll better go to my room," I said. Laura ran outside, and I tiptoed to the door of Mr. Fairlie's room. I'm a genius of eavesdropping! And Sir Percival's strange behavior needed an explanation. I came just in time! Sir Percival and Mr. Fairlie were talking about me.

"Who's that blond girl with Laura?" I heard Sir Percival's voice.

"Oh, it's her stepsister, Marian Halcombe. She was brought up in I-don't-know-where, but came here after her adoptive mother Mrs. Jones died."

"How long has Ms. Halcombe been here?"

"For six days."

"Six days… six days… just as I thought…" Sir Percival mumbled.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"Nothing, Mr. Fairlie. I… I remember hearing news about a Mrs. Jones's death a week ago."

The topic changed, and I went to my room. Sir Percival didn't resemble any of the Hand members I knew, but it was clear he knew something. "Perhaps Mirror has agents among the humans," I guessed. "Or… who knows? The thing is Sir Percival recognized me!"

* * *

Laura's POV

After Sir Percival left, Marian looked depressed. I offered to call for the doctor, but Marian said she was all right. Suddenly her face twisted and she whispered:

"Laura!.. This Sir Percival isn't a good person! You must break your engagement at once!" she was trembling. "Just believe me!"

"Marian, why? Sir Percival is nice and polite… and a baronet. What in the world happened to you?"

"Laura, I'm serious!"

"I see, Marian, but _why_ do you dislike my fiancé?" I cried. Not that I loved Sir Percival, but I didn't hate him. And Marian met him once – why did she hate him that much?

"I can't explain it to you, Laura. It's secret. You must trust me as your eldest sister!" Marian snapped. I scowled. I didn't like this tone.

"First, you are my _step_sister. Second, I want to know the reasons for such a hatred for Sir Percival," I said firmly. Marian lowered her eyes.

"Well, it's not a hatred. Only a… er… suspect. I'll tell you later, Laura. Don't worry, _you _are safe," Marian turned and ran to her room. I followed her, pleading to tell me everything. Marian didn't respond. Suddenly, I saw that she took her hairpin off and quietly _spoke_ to it!

How funny. Marian doesn't like fairy tales – she has already told me about it. She doesn't believe in magic, and all the same she talks with her hairpin.

I thought she was very depressed or frightened, so I left her room. I do hope she'll tell me that secret someday… I want to do everything to get rid of my engagement and fiancé!..

Sabrina's POV

I took off my hairpin with the communication gemstone. It was still pure green. I smiled, relieved. Daphne was alive and well.

"Hey, Daphne!" I whispered to the gemstone. It started to glow, and Daphne's voice whispered back:

"What's it, Sabrina?"

"I have a serious suspect. Sir Percival Glyde, a baronet, seems to know something about the Hand. I think he _recognized_ me… He asked Mr. Fairlie about who I was, where I was from, something like that. I don't know if I'm safe, truly!"

"Oh, that seems pretty bad... If that Glyde is a baronet, he might be very powerful. I'll try to find some information about him. In London, you can find everything you want!" Daphne chuckled. "So, are you well right now? Did he threaten you or anything?"

"Fortunately, he didn't. He's Laura's betrothed, so he behaves perfectly. How about you, Daphne? Did you find anything useful?"

"Not yet… But I have good news! Now I have a shelter for myself. It's not a rich house, but it's safe there. I live with an old sweet woman called Mrs. Clemens, she's a lot like poor Granny…" Daphne sighed sadly. "And _I_ remind her of her dead granddaughter. She has offered me bed-and-breakfast in exchange of my help with her work. She's a grocer."

"I'm so happy for you! Good luck, Daphne!" I smiled.

"Call me at half past eleven in the evening, as usual. Goodbye, big sister. Be careful!" and the gemstone stopped glowing. I put the hairpin on again. The conversations with Daphne were the brightest events of my new life, and I waited for them impatiently.

* * *

**11.30 in the evening**

I was in bed already, when the gemstone started to glow.

"Hi, Daphne!" I said, taking off the hairpin. "Any success?"

"A little," Daphne replied. "I learned that Sir Percival lives in Hampshire, in a large estate called Blackwater Park. He lives there for many years, and he's very respectable. It's hard to accuse him of anything, let alone being a member of the Hand."

"I suspected that Mirror's followers would find themselves perfect alibis," I said. "What else did you learn?"

"I was just going to tell you! Ten days ago, Sir Percival got acquainted with some count. This count isn't from England, and nobody knows anything about him. You see?" Daphne cried.

"Oh yes. Sounds like Sir Percival is only a servant of the Scarlet Hand, a marionette," I nodded. "Daphne, try to gather as much information about the mysterious 'count'!"

"I've already tried!" Daphne said. "I found out that he's in his late forties, he's single and well-educated. That's all for today, Sabrina."

"Good! Better than nothing, at least. Maybe Sir Percival will tell us about this count during his next visit."

I said goodbye to Daphne and fell asleep in a minute.

* * *

**The next day**

Laura's POV

We received a letter from Sir Percival! A rather strange letter, a crazy one, I dare say. When Marian read it, though, she blanched and looked very frightened just like yesterday. It's somehow connected with the secret she didn't want to tell me, I'm sure!

Uncle Frederick was only unnerved by this letter. As for myself, I don't know how to react to it.

_Dear Mr. Fairlie and Laura!_

_The girl who calls herself Marian Halcombe isn't your relative. Don't tell her that you know it. On the contrary, try to assure her she is. Count Lancaster told me it will be the best way._

_I remain yours respectfully,_

_Baronet Percival Glyde._

_P.S. Follow these instructions. You must follow these instructions._

* * *

**Different POVs**

Sabrina's POV

Just as I suspected… They want to erase my memory, I think… They? Who's Count Lancaster… wait a minute! Bunny Lancaster is the Wicked Queen… she created _Mirror_!..

Laura's POV

Marian gasped and fell on the ground. I leaned over her. She was pale and unconscious! I told the servants to call our doctor. Poor Marian! But what had caused this fit? Marian has iron nerves (unlike Uncle Frederick).

I'm starting to feel afraid of Sir Percival as well.

Dr. Brown's POV

Marian Jennifer Halcombe needs rest and peace. She's badly depressed. Though I don't have the smallest guess about the reason of her swoon.

Daphne's POV

Oh dear! The magical gemstone is red! What happened to Sabrina? I'm going to Limmeridge right now to find out.

**Sorry I didn't update for so long. And thanks to Lara D and SabrinaDaphne13 for the reviews!**


	5. Marian or Sabrina?

**Chapter 4. Marian or Sabrina? **

Laura's POV

After Marian was put onto a sofa and Dr. Brown left us, I called for Sir Percival Glyde. He arrived in three hours and was shocked to see Marian fallen ill. He told us he didn't send any letter:

"That's not my handwriting, Mr. Fairlie!" he showed us his handwriting and we had to admit it's different from the one in the letter. I'm very confused. Who _did_ send the letter that scared my brave stepsister? Nobody has an idea.

Sir Percival turned his attention away from Marian and started talking with Uncle Frederick when Louis (our lackey) entered and announced:

"Miss Anne Catherick, sir!"

Anne Catherick? I remembered that she was the grand-niece of Mrs. Jones. She came to Limmeridge with Marian's documents a week ago. I found her to be a nice little girl, with an ever-present warm smile and a good manner of speaking. Anne seemed to be a close friend of Marian's. "She came for visit," I thought.

Anne entered the room.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fairlie. Good afternoon, Ms. Fairlie. I'm very sorry for such a sudden visit," she said. "I've just heard that Marian is sick."

"She fainted," I explained. "She's now resting, so don't unnerve her, please."

"Oh, no, I just wanted to see her. Is it serious?"

"Dr. Brown says it's not."

Anne was obviously relieved. Sir Percival and Uncle Frederick left the room, and I went to the kitchen for a glass of water for Marian. When I returned, Marian had just woken up. And then, I overheard a strange conversation between her and Anne. I didn't mean to overhear it! They didn't notice me!

"Oh, Sabrina, how are you feeling? What was it?" Anne asked Marian. I was surprised she called her Sabrina. Marian looked surprised as well. She blinked and asked sleepily:

"I'm fine, thanks, Anne. But why do you call me Sabrina?"

"I'm Daphne, your little sister!" Anne (or Daphne?) cried. "You are Sabrina Grimm, who disguised herself…"

"Never heard of any Daphne. You're Anne Catherick, the grand-niece of Mrs. Jones. _I'm_ Marian Jennifer Halcombe, and the only sister I have is Laura Fairlie. Grimm? I don't know this name."

"Have you lost all of your memory?" Anne/Daphne was on the verge of tears. "You are Sabrina Grimm. I'm your sister. We are from another world. We were sent here to fight Mirror and the Scarlet Hand…"

"Anne, you talk nonsense!" Marian said. "Who's Mirror? Who's the Scarlet Hand? You are the grand-niece of the woman who raised me, but not my sister. And we are not from another world. There's no another world!"

"PERCIVAL GLYDE WIPED YOUR MEMORY AWAY!" Anne screamed. I dropped the glass of water, and it shattered. Marian's face was white with fear and she fainted again, so I rushed to her side. Uncle Frederick, Sir Percival and Louis came running in a second.

"What's the meaning of this? _My nerves_!" Uncle groaned.

"This girl talked nonsense and scared Marian almost to death!" I said, pointing at Anne. "She tried to convince Marian that she's not Marian but some other person… well, she confused my poor sister a lot."

"It's true!" Anne cried. Then she started threatening Sir Percival with her fists. Louis yelled for help, and a dozen lackeys rushed into the room. They could barely stop demented Anne from strangling Sir Percival and drag her away from him. Anne was incredibly strong for her age! And poor Sir Percival, truly, I don't love him, but he doesn't deserve a treatment like that. I was mad at Anne:

"How could you!" I cried through tears. "Marian's unconscious again! And you wanted to kill my fiancé! Oh, why did I let you in, you… you… you _wicked selfish peasant_!"

"Laura, Laura, calm down. Have some mercy for my nerves," Uncle groaned. "Marian will be all right soon. And Ms. Catherick will be put into an asylum. She has gone absolutely crazy."

"She was so quiet a week ago – I don't know what happened! Maybe she's distressed after her great-aunt's death. That's the only excuse for her," I said.

"Don't worry, Laura," Sir Percival said with a strained smile, "Anne Catherick will be sent to an asylum today. Your sister will recover soon. Everything will be just fine, without a lunatic running around free."

"Thanks, Percival," I curtsied at him respectfully. "I greatly appreciate your help."

"Always at your service. Laura, Mr. Fairlie, I think I need to do something with that Ms. Catherick. I'll go to the best asylum I know right now," Sir Percival bowed at us and departed. I could hear Anne's screams, cries and shrieks. She was showering Sir Percival with insults. Uncle went to his personal room – he didn't want to listen to these awful words. My personal room was too close to the front door, so I had to watch Anne being forced away from Limmeridge.

"You're worse than a murderer!" she yelled. "You rubbed away my sister's memory! You're afraid of her when she's herself! You're a _jerkazoid_! You're _mucho evil-o_! You're a freak!" Luckily, she was put into one of Sir Percival's carriages, so I don't know the rest of her tirade. After I made sure that Anne was far away from us, I came back to Marian to calm her down.

Sabrina/Marian's POV

Oh, that girl! I thought Anne Catherick was a good child. I was completely wrong! She's the craziest person ever born. When I woke up from my unconsciousness, I saw her sobbing and talking about ridiculous things. She mentioned mirrors, scarlet hands, another worlds and stuff like this. Crazies like speaking about the impossible.

Anne even attacked Sir Percival. She's only eight years old – and she's an unbelievably good fist-fighter. It was like a nightmare. Anne was sent to an asylum by Sir Glyde, and the mess she created was cleaned by the lackeys.

Laura was pale and scared.

"I'm so sorry, Marian," she said. "I'm terribly sorry. I shouldn't have let Anne inside."

"It's nothing, Laura, dear." I smiled. "It wasn't your fault. I hope Anne recovers soon – she used to be a sweet little girl when Mrs. Jones was alive."

"Well, now, Marian, are you well? Did she harm you?"

"No, not at all. I was just… frightened a bit, nothing more. Could you please bring me some water? I'm pretty thirsty."

Laura nodded, smiled and ran to call the maid.

Anne/Daphne's POV

Oh, no! Sabrina's suspicions were correct, more than correct. Sir Percival has somehow erased her memory. Now she thinks she's Marian Halcombe, Laura's stepsister, etc. etc. etc.! And I'm sent to an asylum for crazies. How clever of Sir Percival and whoever else! Now Sabrina is harmless, and I'm considered as a crazy. Ugh!

I'll have to run away from here. I don't know how. No, no – I _must_ run away. As soon as possible. I _must_ restore Sabrina's memory.

* * *

A CLASSIFIED LETTER

FROM: _Sir Percival Edward Glyde_

TO: _Count Markus Lancaster_

_I've followed your instructions. I put some pink "Forgetful" dust you gave me on the note (the short one I sent to Limmeridge). Then I threw another handful of dust into a glass of water prepared for "Ms. Halcombe". "Anne Catherick" is sent to an asylum for crazies. Everything's going according to your plans. Though I don't know them, to be honest._

_What am I to do now?_

THE REPLY

_You're a silly fool! You didn't give any dust to that "Anne"! She's more dangerous for me than "Marian", you idiot! "Anne" is unpredictable. But since she's in an asylum now, don't give her dust. I'll do everything myself. Come to Hampshire to discuss the plans at once! I'll explain all to you. But if only you were a bit cleverer!.._

_Say hello to St… Marian, I mean. She's no danger for us now. "Anne Catherick" can still ruin everything. Percival, you're more stupid than I was led to believe._

**That's all for June. I'm going to a ten-day trip tomorrow, so I won't be able to update for a rather long time. Thanks for the reviews A LOT!**


	6. The escape

**I'm back from my trip and updating again! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the story!**

**Chapter 5. The escape**

Daphne's POV

Eight years… Eight long horrible years had passed. I was still there, in the asylum for crazies. Marian… Sabrina, she was Sabrina for me – was alive and well, despite the loss of memory. She visited me sometimes, along with Laura Fairlie. They considered me as a poor little mad girl, nothing more.

I befriended some of the other inhabitants of the asylum. First, there was Maria, the nurse. She was soft and patient with everyone. Moreover, she was insightful, and she once told me:

"Anne, you don't look like a crazy at all. On the contrary, you look like a normal sane girl. I dare say you _are _a normal girl."

I decided to tell her almost everything. She'd understand, I thought. She didn't look like a member or a human agent of the Scarlet Hand, besides, it was obvious that she spent all day looking after the patients. She just didn't have enough time to join the Hand.

I didn't mention another worlds or Everafters. My tale was sad and short:

"Maria, you're right. I'm as sane as you are. I was put into the asylum not because of my madness! You see, I was hunting down a very evil organization. They plan to rule England and possibly the whole world. So, I was rather close to catching them, but their leader tracked me down and sent me here."

"Ah!" Maria was startled. "I'll report it to the police…"

"No, no, no, it's far too dangerous! The leader of this organization has agents and followers everywhere."

"But Anne…"

"Daphne. My real name's Daphne."

"Daphne, I can't just leave you here!"

"All you can do for me is help me to escape," I sighed. Maria promised me she'd try, but I knew better. What can a plain young nurse with no special talents do against the Hand? Nothing. I was still helpless, even with Maria as my assistant. Luckily, I got acquainted with one of the real crazies! Sabrina used to praise me for being charismatic and friendly. That helped me a lot. I became a friend of a person who terrified everyone else.

Mrs. Dora Taylor was a legendary figure in the asylum. Her daughter died of typhoid thirty-two years ago, and this tragedy drove Dora mad. She was sure that every living person in the world was responsible for the girl's death. So she shouted at everybody and refused to eat anything but the walnuts from the tree in the garden.

"You've poisoned Lily!" she used to cry. (Lily was her daughter's name), "You might also poison me!"

When I came to visit her, she called me "wicked assassin" and "murderer" at first. I was frightened but smiled:

"Mrs. Taylor, I didn't kill poor Lily. I'm from another world. I came here eight years ago. I'm sorry for your loss…"

"Do you have any idea who could murder Lily?" the woman sobbed. She wasn't even surprised or shocked, she cared only about her dead daughter. I came up with a plan to escape the asylum using a little lie.

"Oh, of course!" I said. "That's actually why I am here. I'm investigating Lily's murder. I have tracked down her real assassins! Alas, they found me as well and put me here! I plan to run away and bring them to justice. Could you help me, Mrs. Taylor!"

"Yes! Yes!" she cried. "I'll help you with the escape, Miss Catherick! Please, avenge for my daughter's murder!"

With the help of Mrs. Taylor and Maria combined, I _could _run away – at last. Mrs. Taylor broke the window of my room, and Maria helped me to go through the garden unnoticed and gave me some food.

"Goodbye, Maria, thank you so much!" I said before storming away from the freaky house. "Goodbye, Mrs. Taylor, take care of yourself. I promise to punish Lily's killers!"

I waved to them one last time and ran through the endless fields and forests of England. It was very dark, and I was wearing a dark-scarlet coat Maria had given me, so nobody could notice me. In fact, I met nobody except several hares and an old three-legged cat. I wanted to feed the poor cat so much, but I was so careful! Even a cat could be an Everafter from the Hand.

* * *

In the late evening, while hurrying along some railway, I met a human being. A young handsome man with two large bags was going down a country road. I was rather scared and let out a short cry.

"Eh… can I help you, miss?" he asked.

"Is this the road to London?" I tried to catch my breath. He looked at me, as though surprised. I repeated:

"Is this the way to London?" I wanted to get to Mrs. Clemens's house, the one I lived in eight years ago. I hoped Mrs. Clemens would take me in.

"Yes," that stranger I met nodded, "It leads to St. John's Wood and the Regent's Park… I'm sorry for not answering you immediately, miss, I was only startled by your sudden appearance on the road."

"I have done nothing wrong," I cried desperately. "You don't think I have done anything bad, do you, Mr…"

"Walter Hartright," he said. "I don't suspect you of anything, miss."

"Pleased to meet you," I even curtsied. "May I trust you, Mr. Hartright?"

"Yes, you may trust me," he smiled. "I can see you're in some trouble. If I can help you, tell me so. I'll do what I can."

"Oh, you're very kind!" I couldn't believe my luck. "Can you get me a carriage when we get to London – if it's not too late yet – please?"

"Of course," Walter Hartright said. He seemed a nice man. But, oh, I didn't know whom to trust. We continued walking, and I asked him:

"Do you know many people in London?"

"A great many."

"Many men of rank and title?.." I whispered, preparing myself for the worst. Mr. Hartright shrugged:

"Some."

"Many men of the rank of Baronet or Count?"

"No counts," Mr. Hartright said. "Three baronets. Er… why do you ask, miss?"

"I hope there's a baronet you don't know. For my own sake," I shuddered.

"Could you – could you tell me his name?"

"I can't!" I cried then calmed down. "Tell me the names of the baronets you know."

Mr. Hartright thought for a while and gave me three long aristocratic, meaningless names. I didn't hear the terrible name of "Percival Glyde" and I sighed with relief.

"Ah! You don't know him. Are you a man of rank and title yourself?"

"Far from _that_," Mr. Hartright laughed. "I'm only a drawing-master." He said it with a hint of bitterness, but I got all the happiness I needed back then.

"A _drawing-master_!" I repeated. "Oh, thank goodness! I can trust him."

He started to ask me about my fear of counts and baronets, but I politely told him to be quiet. "Trees have ears," I thought. We walked in silence until we reached the suburbs of London.

"Do you live in London?" I asked. It would be great if I had someone to trust in the large city.

"Yes," he said and I smiled. Then he added:

"But tomorrow I'll be away from here for some time. I'm going into the country. To Cumberland."

"_Cumberland_!" I exclaimed. "I have a s… a good friend of mine living in Limmeridge."

He stopped, looking amazed.

"Did you hear anybody calling after us?" I wanted to know.

"No, not at all, everything's all right. I was struck by the name of Limmeridge. What a coincidence – I'm going right there!"

Perhaps it would be safe to count him as a guardian for Sabrina and Laura.

"My friend's name is Marian Halcombe. She's the niece of Frederick Fairlie's," I said. "If I meet you again, will you tell me how she lives now? I hope she's alright. We haven't met for ages."

In several minutes, Mr. Hartright noticed a free cab. He called for the driver, and I recited the address of Mrs. Clemens. Mr. Hartright gave me enough money, and I said farewell to him. Soon the cab was on its way to the Clemens Grocery.

"Thank you!" I said quietly for the last time. Mr. Hartright disappeared from the view.

Sabrina/Marian's POV

Uncle Frederick had hired a drawing-master for me and Laura.

"His name is Mr. Walter Hartright," Uncle told us. "He was recommended to me by a good friend of mine. He'll come to Limmeridge tomorrow."

Laura squealed with happiness. She adores drawing and painting, as well as all other arts. She loves reading poems aloud and playing the piano. I wish _I_ liked arts! But I don't like them the same as Laura does, so I simply said:

"Good. Thanks, Uncle."

"Now go and stop torturing my nerves!" he groaned. We abandoned the room. Laura started preparing pencils, paint and paper right away. She couldn't wait for the drawing-master to arrive.


	7. Letters

**Thanks A LOT to SabrinaDaphne13 and Lara D for the reviews. All right, in this chapter I'll tell you about what's going on back in the fort.**

**Chapter 6. Letters**

Daphne's POV

The cab stopped near the Clemens Grocery Store. I paid the money Mr. Hartright had given me, got out of the cab and knocked at the door.

"Oh! Anne Catherick! Anne, is that you? You've grown up so much!" Mrs. Clemens exclaimed, opening the door and looking at me. "How are you? Where have you been?"

"I've been forced to live in an asylum for crazies," I said. "I escaped today."

"Poor thing! Come inside, have some hot tea. You are trembling!"

"It's fear, not cold. I was afraid you wouldn't take me in again."

"Anne, you're always welcome here! You're a good friend and you helped me a lot with my grocery. Now, now, come please inside. You'll tell me your full story later. Oh, poor girl! You had to be in a crazy company for… eight years!"

Mrs. Clemens was crying and smiling at the same time. She fed me, and I told her everything about Maria, Mrs. Taylor and Mr. Hartright.

"The world's full of kind, noble people!" Mrs. Clemens sighed. "The problem is that we rarely can find them. Anne, you're lucky that you did."

She chattered about it for several minutes. She told me that a crazy can be kinder than a sane person, and nurses and drawing-masters are often more noble than rich people of noble titles. I wholeheartedly agreed with her.

* * *

So, I was a grocer in London again. I listened to the customers' gossips, hoping to hear some news from Limmeridge. But Cumberland was too far from here, so people didn't know much about it.

A week passed since my return to Mrs. Clemens. One day, in the morning, the postman came to our house and handed me a letter addressed to _Miss Anne Juliette Rose Catherick_. It's my full fake name. Nobody in this world knew it except for myself and Mr. Gilmore, the lawyer! I opened the envelope, feeling too afraid to look at the letter itself. I only glanced at the signature. Oh! It was my dad's handwriting!

_Your worried parents, Basil, Uncle Jake, Mr. Canis, Puck, Charming and everybody else from the fort._

Relieved, I read the whole letter.

* * *

_Dear Daphne,_

_We are anxious to hear any news from you. Eight years have passed, and neither you nor Sabrina ever came to the door between the worlds and informed us about what was going on. Finally, we decided to send another spy. Our family is really busy right now, so we sent Tom Baxter. He came with shocking news: Sabrina has a complete loss of memory! Mr. Baxter disguised himself as a peasant and found out everything right in Limmeridge._

_He also met a drawing-master of Sabrina and Laura's. Mr. Walter Hartright told him about his encounter with "a girl in scarlet". Mr. Baxter listened to the description of the girl and guessed it had been you, Daphne._

_Just then, Mr. Baxter bought a paper and learned that "a deranged Anne Catherick ran away from an asylum". He found out your address by befriending a relative of Mrs. Clemens's. All that happened yesterday._

_Mr. Baxter bribed the postman. Nobody knows about this letter. He (Mr. Baxter) is waiting for the reply several miles away. Please, tell us what you learned about the Scarlet Hand's plans! Where's Mirror? Where's everyone else? What are they going to do? How can we prevent it? How can we help you? Answer at least one of these questions, Daphne!_

_By the way, Mirror changed his body. We don't know how he did it, but it's true. Granny Relda is imprisoned in Mayor Hearts' palace. At least she's alive and free of Mirror! We are trying to set her __**completely**__ free as soon as possible._

_As you can see, the news from Fort Charming aren't so bad. Since a large part of the Hand's army is somewhere in this world, we defeated the rest of the army frequently. Almost everyone in the fort is alive and well. We miss both of you! Puck misses Sabrina a lot, so we didn't tell him about her memory loss. Little Basil is now a nine-year-old boy, and he can't wait to meet his sisters. We all hope you'll win the war and come back soon!_

_Reply right now, please! Sorry, we don't have much time for a more detailed letter._

_Your worried parents, Basil, Uncle Jake, Mr. Canis, Puck, Charming and everybody else from the fort._

_P.S. Try to recover Sabrina's memory yourself! If you come to Limmeridge and talk to her about her real life, she'll possibly remember you – and everything. The Blue Fairy could have sent you some Anti-forgetful Dust, but you know that this world can't stand magic._

* * *

"Oh, a letter!" Mrs. Clemens smiled as she noticed me reading it. "From whom?"

"My family. They live far away from here," I said, not lying at all.

"Wonderful! Anne, here's an envelope, a stamp, a pencil and several sheets of paper – for your reply," Mrs. Clemens gave me everything I needed to write a letter.

"Thanks!" I wrote about all my adventures and gave the letter to the postman, who waited for it patiently. I remembered that Tom Baxter bribed him. Oh, it seems that many people do everything for money.

"Deliver the letter as fast as possible!" I ordered.

"I'll try, Ms. Catherick." He went away.

* * *

The next day, another postman brought me a letter. It was from Limmeridge, from Laura Fairlie. She wrote:

_Dear Anne,_

_I'm so glad you have healed! Could you come for a visit? I miss you very much, _and then the letter continued with a detailed story of Laura's drawing lessons. I giggled. Laura paid much attention not only to the lessons, but to Mr. Hartright himself. Several long paragraphs were dedicated entirely to him.

_Mr. Hartright is very patient… Mr. Hartright was very kind to show me his drawings… Mr. Hartright painted my portrait as a present for my birthday!.. Today we had a wonderful day off; we all walked around the garden for hours – me, Marian and Mr. Hartright… _and stuff like this. Laura seemed to be very attracted to her drawing-master! I would bit my palm and be happy for her, but: a) Sabrina was still without memory b) Laura had an evil fiancé, Sir Percival Glyde, who was Mirror's agent.

I sighed and thought:

"By the way, I should do something. I'm sitting here, sending and receiving letters, and Mirror is thinking of his plans, with no one to sabotage them! I must track him and Sir Glyde down."

Now the only thing I needed was a plan of my own. It was difficult in here to harm Baronet Glyde and "Count Lancaster". I couldn't do it without Sabrina's help.

"Conclusion: I have to restore my sister's memory," I decided. "Perhaps it would be wise to come for a visit to Limmeridge. In that case, I'd be able to talk to Marian… to Sabrina."

_I'll try to visit Limmeridge as soon as I can, Laura…_ I wrote, in response for Laura's letter.

**Daphne's letter will be received in the fort in the next chapter, I promise!**


	8. Letters2

**Thanks for the reviews! Just as I promised, Daphne's letter is received by the Grimms in this chapter.**

**Chapter 7. Letters-2**

Veronica Grimm's POV

We couldn't wait to read Daphne's letter. My poor daughters!.. When Mr. Baxter told me that Sabrina lost her memory and Daphne was living as a peasant, I was on the verge of tears. Luckily, Sabrina is probably healthy and happy, and she lives in a rich estate. Daphne, on the other hand, seems to have all of her memory. How I miss both of them! I wish I could go to that world and help them, but I have to help Charming's army instead. And Basil also needs my care…

Mr. Baxter returned in the evening, after a whole day spent in the other universe. He brought us – thank goodness! – an envelope with Daphne's handwriting on it. All our family snatched the letter from each other, everyone was aching to see the handwriting of my daughter and to make sure that the letter is hers.

When Henry took the envelope from Jake, he suddenly frowned:

"Veronica, look at the envelope! Did somebody open it already?"

"No," the family and Mr. Baxter said in unison.

"But it looks like it was opened and then sealed up again!"

"What?" I was shocked and looked at the envelope. It seemed that it had been sealed up very poorly. Daphne couldn't be so careless! I exclaimed:

"I think our enemies read the letter! Mr. Baxter, did you give it to anyone?"

"I only took it from the postman," the old man stammered.

"The postman must have been a Scarlet Hand agent," Jake said. "Or maybe they attacked or bribed him; so he gave them the letter... Of course, _they _told him to remain silent about it…"

"Well, the letter is here," Henry sighed. "Let's read and see what's so important for the Scarlet Hand in it." He opened the envelope, took out the letter and read it aloud:

_Dear Mom, Dad, Basil, Uncle and everyone else!_

_First: I'm relatively fine. Mrs. Clemens is very kind, and I think I'm quite safe here. Moreover, the customers of our grocery often gossip about rich people. Marian Halcombe included, but her life isn't interesting for the gossips. The most important things I heard from them were about a Count Markus Lancaster. Before her loss of memory, Sabrina found out a suspect – a respectable man who lately associated with that Count._

_As I learned, the Count was a foreigner. Foreigners always interest people! Soon it was found out that he's in late forties, single, well-educated, good-mannered. Another week passed – and the local gossips told me that the men was short, balding and black-eyed._

_Isn't it the exact description of Mirror's real body? And the surname of "Lancaster" is the surname of the Wicked Queen, right?_

_When you wrote to me about Granny being found alive and well in the prison, my suspicions proved to be correct. Now I know Mirror's identity in here!_

_As for his agents, there's only one of them I know. Baronet Percival Glyde. What can I tell you about him! Next to nothing. He's betrothed to Laura Fairlie and he owns Blackwater Park in Hampshire. Does that help?_

_I'm lucky enough to know the Fairlie family, by the way. Laura invited me to visit Limmeridge, and I'm going to do it. I plan to restore Sabrina's memory during the visit! Right now, I'm thinking about the best way to do it. I'm going to try to remind her of her old life, to give her small, faint hints. What hints? I don't know yet._

_Thanks to Mrs. Clemens, I have a shelter now. Thanks to your fake IDs, Sabrina has a shelter. So we're alive and well, that's good. I'm still an optimist!_

_I miss you all very much… Please, please, please help me to defeat Mirror! I can't manage to do it alone! Even with Sabrina's help it would be difficult and risky. DON'T misunderstand me! I'm NOT giving up at all!_

_Love to you all – Daphne Grimm (living under the name of Anne Catherick)._

"Oh, yes, now I see the letter was important to the Scarlet Hand," I said. "It reveals Mirror's identity! I can't imagine what Mirror is going to do now with Daphne… What if he gives her Forgetful Dust as well?" I gasped. Henry thought of a solution immediately. He called Mr. Baxter:

"Tom, can you pay another visit to that universe! It's an emergency. You have to go right to the Clemens Grocery and tell Daphne to move somewhere else. Under another name, perhaps. If you don't do it, I'll go there myself!"

"I'll do it!" Mr. Baxter said. "I understand everything!"

"And no postmen!" I ordered.

"Of course not!"

* * *

Daphne's POV

It was late in the evening. Mrs. Clemens was just about to close the store, when she spotted a late customer rushing to it. When he got closer, I recognized him as Mr. Tom Baxter, Cinderella's husband!

"Mr. Baxter!" I squealed with joy. He handed me a short letter and said:

"I have no time. Read this letter and follow its instructions. NOW!" He stormed away. Mrs. Clemens looked at me, startled:

"Who was that?"

"A friend of my family's," I replied as I read the letter.

_Dear Daphne, the Scarlet Hand caught your letter to us. They know everything now. You must move far away right now, if you don't want to risk your health, memory and life._

I blanched.

"Mrs. C-c-clemens," I said. "A-a relative of m-mine is in terrible danger. I m-must come to him now."

"Oh, Anne, but it's dangerous!" the woman cried. "How can a young girl go anywhere in the middle of the night alone? There are no cabs... Wait for the morning, please. If _you _get into danger, I'll never forgive myself."

I thought about her advice. She was right in fact. I'd take a cab and run far away bright and early at dawn, I decided. We closed the grocery, and I went to my room, but I didn't go to sleep! Instead, I packed my bag and took some money to buy hair dye and makeup. I had to disguise myself to be safe.

**The next chapter will be about Limmeridge, especially Laura/Walter Hartright romance.**


	9. Just a drawing master

**Chapter 8. Just a drawing-master**

Walter Hartright's POV

I was hired by the owners of Limmeridge as a drawing-master. Now I truly believe that this event changed my whole life – but back then, I thought I had been the most unfortunate man in England.

In Limmeridge, I got acquainted with the Fairlie family. First I met Mr. Frederick Fairlie, the eldest member, but he is a very plain old grunt, nothing more. The only thing that worried him was his health, especially his nerves. Can you imagine such a master? After being introduced to him, I was afraid to meet my pupils.

"If the two girls are like Mr. Fairlie," I said to myself. "I'll run away from here today."

But then I met the first of my pupils, Ms. Marian Halcombe. She was shockingly beautiful. Her long wavy golden hair, her sparkling blue eyes with brown thin eyebrows, her pale face with rosy cheeks made her look like a lovely fairy-tale princess. But when she started talking and arguing with her uncle or servants, the impression became spoiled in a moment.

I had to admit that Marian did have a difficult character – she was stubborn, hot-tempered, and had a sharp tongue. But all the same it was interesting for me to talk with her, when I got used to her light sarcastic way of talking. She told me very much about herself and Laura Fairlie, her stepsister and the second of my pupils.

"I have to tell you that Laura and me are complete opposites," Marian said. "My temper is hard to deal with – Laura's shy and gentle. My manners are terrible – she's a perfect-mannered girl. I have no money – my father was poor; and she has a large fortune. And she adores arts, Mr. Hartright. Drawing, reading, playing the piano – that's Laura's free time."

Marian didn't like drawing herself. It was obvious, though she didn't mention it.

After my first breakfast in Limmeridge, she took me to the garden, where we met Laura.

Laura Fairlie didn't have her sister's dazzling looks, but her _beauty_ was more impressive than Marian's – to me. She always looked so thin and delicate, and I found her to be kind, gentle and trusting. She met me with an innocent gullible smile, and her blue eyes lightened with interest and joy.

"You must be Mr. Walter Hartright," she said and curtsied. "I'm Laura Fairlie."

"Pleased to meet you," I said. We went back to the house, for the first drawing lesson. Laura was smiling pleasantly during the whole way, and her eyes looked dreamy. Mr. Fairlie had already told me that Laura loved daydreams and that she could be distracted during the lessons.

That wasn't true – at the lessons Laura listened to my instructions with attention and genuine interest, and never seemed distracted. She was an ideal pupil and she had a perfect character. The only bad thing about my lessons was that I had never mustered the cruelty to scold Laura. She was too tender and delicate to be scolded.

In the evening, while Laura was playing the piano, I told Marian about my encounter with the strange girl in scarlet on my way to Limmeridge.

"Ah. That must have been our poor Anne Catherick, my former friend," Marian smiled. "She went crazy eight years ago, but – in my opinion – she has healed since then. The last times I visited her in her asylum, she seemed perfectly sane. I thought it was unfair to keep in there – now that she was cured; so Laura and I told the owner of the asylum about that. He was rather unpleasant. He said 'I'm told to keep this patient in the asylum. Sir Glyde told me so, and he's still telling me the girl's crazy. I must keep her.'

"That's all the owner of the asylum said. As to me, I think that you were right, Mr. Hartright. I saw Anne two weeks ago, and, I repeat, she was quiet and polite. I don't know why Sir Glyde thinks she's still mad…"

That was the last time I talked about Anne Catherick.

* * *

The following three months passed like a happy dream. Marian Halcombe became my devoted friend, and I learned to deal with her stubbornness and sharp tongue. As for Laura Fairlie – well, my attempts to describe her could already reflect my new feelings.

I loved her. Her gentle and trusting soul, her innocent smile and shining eyes like hers are often described in poetry, but you rarely meet a girl like this in real life. I had never suspected that my dream, my ideal existed, that she lived in Cumberland, under the name of Miss Laura Fairlie. Sadly, she was the heiress of Limmeridge Estate and a large fortune…

And I was just a drawing-master, with no money and no rich family – yet I loved her. I tried to forget about her money and estate, I tried not to show my affection to her – until the terrible day came…

* * *

**Three months later**

It was all Marian's insight. One day, after a lesson, she looked at Laura with an odd, bitter smile and said:

"Mr. Hartright, I need to talk to you."

We went to my workroom. Marian closed the door and sighed:

"Mr. Hartright, I – I know your secret. I have… I have noticed it in your eyes, when you looked at Laura. I have noticed it in your voice, when you talked to her. You have allowed yourself to become too attached – attracted, I dare say – to my sister. You understand that she's – she's not the girl a… drawing-master can marry, don't you? Oh, I didn't want to hurt you, Mr. Hartright. It's not that. It's the English law. You must leave Limmeridge, Mr. Hartright.

"You must leave Limmeridge, not because you're a teacher of drawing," Marian paused and gave me a sad look. "The fact is… Laura Fairlie is engaged".

**Sorry for not updating for so long. A late "thank you" for the reviews!**


	10. Save Laura!

**Chapter 9. "Save Laura!"**

Walter's POV

I can't explain how depressed I was by Marian's words. I knew I couldn't marry Laura - even if she hadn't been engaged. She was too rich for a drawing-master. And yet I was struck.

"Who's... that... _gentleman_?" I asked. I wasn't able to say "Laura's fiance". Marian understood my thoughts.

"His name is Sir Percival Glyde," she sighed. "He owns a large estate in Hampshire. And he's a baronet."

Baronet! I immediately remembered that girl in a scarlet gown. That girl I met on my way to Limmeridge. She told me some hints about counts and baronets she feared. I guessed that some count and some baronet had hurt her. And now I learned that Laura's fiance is... a baronet!

"Don't be ridiculous!" I scolded myself. "There are hundreds of baronets in England. Do you hate every single one of them just because some crazy girl in scarlet told you to do that? Of course not! Do you hate that Glyde man? You do, but why? Good question! You're just jealous! If he wasn't Laura's fiance, you wouldn't notice him!"

"I'll leave Limmeridge," I said aloud. "Today."

"Good," Marian said, frowning. "We'll miss you, Mr. Hartright. But please, leave as soon as you can. Sir Percival's coming here in the evening."

"I'm going to London right now," I assured her.

* * *

**An hour and a half later**

The gates of Limmeridge closed behind my back. I turned to see the house for the last time - and suddenly, I spotted Laura looking out of the window of her room. Tears sparkled in her eyes. She looked at me, and there was so much sadness in her look! For a moment, I wished to come back. But then I reminded myself "Sir Glyde arrives today", closed my eyes and turned away. My heart was left in Limmeridge forever.

I walked for ten minutes or so, when I saw a young girl rushing towards me. "Laura!" I thought, but then shook my head to get away from the delusion. The girl didn't resemble Laura at all. She had dark braided hair, green eyes and tanned face. And she was wearing _a scarlet gown_.

"Mr. Hartright!" she called, catching her breath. "Mr. Hartright! Do you remember me?"

"Of course!" I said, managing a smile on my face. "How do you do, miss?"

"I don't have time for polite conversations," she snapped. "Did you leave Limmeridge? Why? Tell me the truth. I need to know it."

I don't know why I believed her. I slightly blushed and said:

"Eh... the reasons are... you know... personal."

"Tell me, please!" she begged. I hesitated for a minute, but then I chose to answer her. She looked so genuine! I thought that my answer was truly important to her. I sighed deeply:

"Well, miss... I felt... some... eh... I fell in love with one of Mr. Fairlie's nieces."

She suddenly giggled:

"Oh, which one?"

"Laura." The girl seemed slightly disappointed, but then asked me to continue the story.

"But Ms. Halcombe told me that Laura's engaged with Sir Percival Gly..." I never had a chance to finish. The girl screamed in fright and stepped away. Her face blanched and twisted, as if in great anger.

"I'm sorry, miss..." I started. She calmed down a little.

"Oh, don't worry. It's all right," she said. "And... could you call me Daphne? It's my name. Daphne Grimm."

"Yes, miss... Daphne."

The girl frowned and said firmly:

"Save Laura! Sir Glyde is a terrible man, and his friend Count Lancaster is even worse! They'll get rid of both Laura and Marian. Please believe me, Mr. Hartright."

"I believe you," I said. So my suspicions were correct! Sir Glyde was the baronet who did something bad to Daphne Grimm, this mysterious girl in scarlet.

"Oh, and call me by name as well," I added. "You remember my name?"

"Yes, Walter," she nodded. "Please, come back to Limmeridge and tell S... Marian that I'm perfectly sane. But Sir Glyde still wants to keep me in that dreaded asylum! And his friend Count Lancaster isn't a Count, but an impostor! I hope Marian believes you. It's all true!"

"I... I'll try," I said.

"Just tell her! Please!" and she wanted to storm away, but I shouted to her:

"Daphne, wait! Where can I find you? When I found you a cab, I heard the address you told to the driver..."

"I've moved," she said quickly. "Find me at the farm a mile away from here. It's called Todd's Corner. Ask for Eugenia Andersen - not for Daphne Grimm. Understand?"

"Eugenia Andersen," I repeated. "I see. Goodbye, Daphne."

"See you, Walter," and Daphne stormed away at last.

* * *

I still can't understand why I listened to Daphne back then. Just when she disappeared from the view, I turned around and walked back to Limmeridge - oh, I was so happy to see Laura at the window again. She stared at me with surprise, happiness, and disbelief.

"Why did you return, Mr. Hartright?" the lackey asked. "Did you forget anything?"

"Uh, yes... indeed," I said. "I... I was painting... a picture... the view of the lake in Limmeridge Garden. I... it's not... not finished... yet. Tell Mr. Fairlie that I... have... to finish it. It won't take longer... than... one day."

The lackey nodded and walked away. In ten minutes, he returned.

"Mr. Fairlie has given you the permission to stay here for one more day," he announced. "Let me bring your bag to your workroom again. Do you want anything - some tea, perhaps? Coffee? Fruit?"

"I want to talk with Ms. Halcombe," I said. "She... er... I want her to see that painting."

"Ms. Halcombe is upstairs, talking to Ms. Fairlie," the lackey said. "But I'll inform her of that, sir."

* * *

When I came to workroom, took out one of my paintings (which was finished long ago), and pretended to work on it, the lackey returned.

"Ms. Halcombe will come to you in ten minutes, sir."

"All right."

"Do you need anything, sir?" the lackey asked again. Oh, lackeys can be annoying sometimes.

"No, thanks, Louis," I said sharply. He bowed and left me. I sighed with relief, but - oh, my bad luck! - Louis came to the room again in a minute.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you again, sir. There's a letter to you, sir."

"From whom?"

"From Ms. Eugenia Andersen, sir. The girl who lives at Todd's Corner."

* * *

**What did Daphne write to him? I'll tell you in the next chapter. As for now, I don't know it myself. :)**

**Review, please!**


	11. Plans, proofs, and letters once again

**Chapter 11. Plans, proofs, and letters once again**

Walter's POV

Louis gave me the letter and walked away. I opened the envelope and took out several sheets of paper. When I finished reading Daphne's letter, I was amazed beyond words!

_Dear Walter, _that's how the letter started,

_Now that I've come to Todd's Corner, my current home, I had a chance to rest, clear my mind, and think about our conversations. And I concluded that a strange-acting girl like me might look like a real crazy; especially when talking to a proper English gentleman. If you think I'm crazy, my behavior is fully explained in this letter. If you don't think I'm crazy, then it's even better. You'll understand my story. It's hard to believe it, though, sometimes it seems impossible to myself._

_Getting to the point..._

_My name's Daphne Grimm, as I've already told you. But I don't come from this country. In fact, I don't come from this world, the world you live in! I was born in another world. In **that** world, I'm a descendant of the Brothers Grimm. I know they existed in **this** universe as well, but I don't know if they have descendants._

_You're confused, aren't you? Well, let me tell you some things about **my **world at first. It's shockingly similar to **yours. **It's inhabited by the same human beings, who speak the same languages. America was discovered by Columbus in 1492 as well. I'm American, and American English differs from British - just like in **your **world. As you can see, the worlds are almost identical. There are only two major differences between them._

_The first one: you live in the 19th century, and we live in the 21st. It's really peculiar, but right now, it doesn't matter. It's the second difference that's important for you, Laura, Marian, and me._

_You know about fairy tales, right? For you, there are children's stories, written on paper by fiction writers. But in our world, it's not so simple! Fairy-tale characters truly exist, and most of them live in a small American town - which happens to be my hometown. Its magical inhabitants call themselves "Everafters", and, sadly, Everafters and people don't live in peace._

_There's an evil Everafter organization, called the Scarlet Hand, which is planning to conquer our world. Its members think that people treat Everafters badly, that Everafters should rule 'these pathetic humans', etc. The Hand also wants to collapse your world - can you imagine that? You see, if your universe is shattered, it will have a bad effect on ours. The Hand has sent its spies into your universe; they know how to open a door to another world. I don't know their plans (yet), but they certainly want your world to be destroyed._

_My sister, Sabrina, and I were sent by good Everafters to stop the Hand. But its leader found us first! He has probably hired Sir Percival Glyde as an agent, and Sir Glyde used some magical dust to wipe away my sister's memories about our world. She now thinks that her name is Marian, she lives in Limmeridge, she has a stepsister... And she can't remember a thing about the Hand, so she's now harmless for it._

_Who's the leader of the bad guys? As for now, you don't need to know his true identity. He has a fake name and title. Count Markus Lancaster._

_Do you see now why Laura and Sabrina are in danger?_

_If you want to save your beloved from the evil, then you must use the help of the people from my world. Meet me tomorrow, at 10.30 in the morning, near the gates of Limmeridge. I'll show you the door between the worlds. You'd better bring Laura and Sabrina with you. I'll tell them all the story. Perhaps it wil restore Sabrina's memory..._

_Oh, Walter, you may have wondered why I told you everything. You know, any man can turn out to be an agent of the Scarlet Hand, so I'm careful with strangers._

_It's really simple. I saw that you had indeed fallen in love with Laura. Therefore, I thought, you'll feel jealous about her and Percival Glyde. So you'll naturally feel hatred for that Glyde person. You'll do anything to prove that he's a bad guy. Right? If you wouldn't believe me for the sake of your world and yourself, you'd believe me for the sake of Laura._

_I've changed my plans. Don't tell Sabrina that Glyde and Lancaster are evil. We'll tell her that when we get to my world._

_If I have made a mistake and you didn't believe me anyway, please burn the letter and forget about that. If you believe me, see you tomorrow._

_I remain your most caring friend,_

_Daphne Grimm._

_P.S. Please be careful._

_P.S. (2) Take care of Sabrina and Laura._

_

* * *

_

When Marian... Sabrina came to my workroom, I was still suffering from the shock. I showed her that landscape painting, she admired and praised it, and we chattered for a minute.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," I said. "Can you and Laura... say the last goodbyes to me in the morning?"

"Sure," she nodded. "But I beg you, don't make it dramatic. Laura's nearly in hysterics," suddenly a tear slipped down Sabrina's cheek. "She has fallen in love with you too!.."

I sighed.

"I don't want to be introduced to Sir Glyde."

"Of course not!" she said. "If he wants to meet you, I'll tell him you have a dreadful headache."

"That's true," I whispered as Sabrina left the room.


	12. Laura's heartbroken

**Chapter 11. Laura's heartbroken**

Laura's POV

Today we were going to meet Sir Percival Glyde again. He had been traveling for six years, so fortunately I didn't have to see him for a long time. And then he arrived - he wanted to plan his wedding with me.

Half an hour before his visit, I had a private talk with my dear sister. Marian can always give me excellent advice. She's so clever!

"Marian, I want to tell Sir Percival the truth," I said when she came to my room.

"W-what truth?" Marian asked as if she already knew the answer. I burst into tears.

"Marian, I love Walter! You know it! I can't, I can't promise Sir Percival to love him forever on our wedding. I don't want to deceive my fiance, Marian. I'll tell him that I'll never love him. He's noble enough, I hope, to break our engagement."

"But Laura, do you understand that you and Walter can never be together?"

"I do! It will be so hard for me to live without _him... _But it will be _dreadful_ to live with a man I don't love! Oh, Marian! You haven't fallen in love with anybody yet. When you do, you'll understand."

Suddenly Marian frowned and looked like she was in deep thoughts.

"What's it?" I asked, worried.

"I think I remember that I did fall in love with someone before I moved to Limmeridge," Marian whispered. "It's just a faint flash of memory... Some golden-haired mischievous boy..." She shook her head. "Oh, I don't know what happened, Laura. Getting back to the point, I agree with you now. You better tell Sir Percival that you love another man."

"Please, when I do it, sit near me!" I pleaded. "When you're with me, I feel more convinced!"

Marian nodded. We sat in silence for some time, until a maid knocked on my door and said:

"Sorry, miss. Sir Glyde has just arrived."

* * *

Sir Percival was now forty-five years old, but he was just the same. He was too polite, his smile was unnaturally wide, but his eyes were cold and lacked any feelings. When I came downstairs to meet him, though, his eyes lit up with amazement.

"Is it the same my dear Ms. Laura Fairlie?" he asked and kissed my hand. "For a moment, I couldn't recognize you. You're so different now!"

"I'm glad to meet you, Sir Percival," I said coldly and curtsied. "Welcome back to Limmeridge."

Marian came to the hall as well. Sir Percival greeted her and went to say hello to Uncle Frederick. Before going to Uncle's room, he turned and glanced at me again, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Calm down, Laura," Marian whispered. "Everything's going to be quite all right." She noticed that I was very nervous.

"Sir Percival doesn't love you; he was a friend of your parents' and he knows about your money," she continued. "He already has a lot of his own money, so he's not going to be very sad about breaking your engagement. You don't have to feel sorry about him."

"Poor Walter," I thought.

* * *

**Two hours later**

"I need to talk to you, Sir Percival," I said. "Could you spare a few minutes?"

"With pleasure," he said and smiled. Marian and me sat on an ottoman, and he stood in front of me. I took a deep breath and started:

"Sir Percival, you know that my poor father wanted us to marry. I promised him to become your wife when he lay dying. When I was saying my promise, I thought I'd love you some time later. I'm sorry, Sir Percival. I don't think so anymore."

Sir Percival seemed struck. I don't know what he felt: anger? Hurt? Sadness? After a little pause, I continued:

"My heart doesn't belong to you. I've betrayed you only in my thoughts. _That_ man didn't speak a word of love to me, neither did I. I won't tell you his name. If you agree to break our engagement, I won't marry him. I can't do it. I'll stay unmarried forever. If you want to marry me, I must warn you. I'll never be your loving wife. I'll be a devoted and caring wife, but I can never give you my love."

Sir Percival blushed and spoke:

"Even if I try to earn your love as the goal of my whole life?"

"My heart will never belong to you," I repeated. Sir Percival knelt down:

"It doesn't matter what feelings you'll give me! No woman can give me more than you can!"

"So you're not breaking the engagement?" Marian interrupted.

"I can't be so foolish to get rid of the most noble woman in the world!" Sir Percival said. I felt literally heartbroken. It seemed like my heart was really shattered by the words of this man.

* * *

Walter's POV

I had been sitting in my workroom for hours, staring at Laura's portrait. I painted it on the second day of my stay in Limmeridge. It was a good painting but a bad portrait: it didn't show you the look of Laura's eyes, her innocent smile, her tender voice. But it reminded me of her.

Late in the evening Marian came to the workroom. She looked at me with sadness and despair.

"What's it..." I wanted to say, but she turned and left the room. I shrugged and went to my bedroom. Although Marian said nothing, I immediately guessed that something happened that involved Laura and (who knows?) me.

I called the lackey and told him to wake me up at 9.30 a. m. I wanted to come in time and meet Daphne.

* * *

**I promise to update this soon!**


	13. Visiting Fort Charming

**Chapter 12. Visiting Fort Charming**

Walter's POV

When I came to the dining room to have breakfast, Laura was already there. She looked at me and sighed:

"Hello, Mr. Hartright." Her eyes were looking at me closely. I felt like she was trying to say something else:

"Walter, please, don't leave me here alone! Don't leave me with Percival Glyde!"

"Hello, Ms. Fairlie. How's your sister?" I asked. Now it wasn't a plain polite question, I was indeed worried about Mar... Sabrina, I forgot calling her her real name.

"Marian has a strong cold," Laura said sadly. "She wanted me to tell you that she won't come and say goodbye to you. She's awfully sorry."

"Oh, no. Daphne won't be pleased with the news!" I thought. "She planned to restore her sister's memory today..."

We had breakfast in silence. Laura was shooting me desperate looks. I didn't know what to say, how to comfort her. She looked physically sick, but she told me she was all right and walked me to the gates after breakfast. We were alone, everyone else was still asleep. Only the gardener was watering the flowers and a maidservant was washing windows.

We stopped near the gates.

"Farewell... Walter," Laura said, lowering her eyes.

"Farewell, Laura," I responded and shook her hand for maybe the last time - as I thought. Just when I was going to leave her, we both spotted Daphne rushing to us!

"Anne!" Laura even smiled. "You have come for visit at last!"

"Anne?" I was surprised. What should I call her in front of Laura?

"Yes, it's Anne Catherick, as sane as before, so the same as before!" Daphne smiled, hugging Laura. "Where's Marian?"

"Oh, she has a strong cold," Laura explained. "I'll tell her that I met you!"

"Thanks!" Daphne said, then her voice suddenly changed:

"Laura, it's a private talk. I must tell you that I know Walter Hartright, your drawing-master. Also I know that the two of you love each other, huh?"

We both blushed. Daphne giggled.

"Yes," Laura whispered. "But we're not allowed to talk about this. I'm..."

"Engaged," Daphne finished for her. "Do you want to break your engagement and marry Walter?"

"Y-yes," Laura whispered even quieter.

"Daphne!" I laughed. "It's me who has to propose!"

"It doesn't matter!" Daphne said. "So, now I'll introduce you to the only people who can help you. My family."

"Uh... but I thought your family... er... you didn't have..." Laura stuttered. She obviously thought that Daphne was an orphan.

"I have a family," Daphne said. "But my _home _is kind of queer, Laura, so don't be too shocked when we get there."

"It's so intriuguing!" Laura exclaimed, giving me a warm, loving smile. "Walter... do _you _love me?"

"Of course," I said. "Oh Laura, why would I have arranged this meeting with... Anne if it wasn't for you?"

Her cheeks turned red, and she gave me an embrace.

"I hate Sir Percival," she whispered in my ear. "He refused to break our engagement when I told him I fell in love with another man. He acts slightly bold while talking to me. I can't stand him!"

"Try not to worry, love. Daphne's family's going to help us," I replied.

"What? Who's Daphne?" she asked suspiciously.

"Daphne's my middle name," Daphne laughed. "I like it better than Anne. It's more beautiful."

"Well, then, I'll call you Daphne too," Laura said. I put an arm around her waist, and Daphne took her hand. The three of us went somewhere where Daphne's mysterious relatives lived. How simple, I thought with happiness. These people would certainly help Laura and me, and then Sabrina's memory would be regained, and all of us would have our happily ever after very soon.

How wrong I was.

* * *

We had been walking for some time when I spotted a tiny shack in the fields. It had no windows, it was all covered in moss and dirt. Daphne noticed it too and pointed at it, grinning:

"There it is! The way home!"

"Does your family live in this shack?" Laura was so stunned that she forgot to be polite. "It seems too small even for one person!"

"I didn't say we _live_ here," Daphne corrected her. "It is _the way home_. Now, Laura, let's stop for a moment. I'll tell you my real story. The story that Walter knows already."

I nodded. Daphne retold her story about the other universe, Everafters and the Scarlet Hand - everything I knew from Daphne's letter. Laura's eyes grew wide, and her mouth slightly opened. She clenched her fingers and frowned a little. I knew Laura very well: these were the signs of great interest and pleasant surprise.

"Oh, Daphne, it's amazing!" Laura cried after Daphne finished the story. Laura turned to me:

"Walter, why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

"I've told him this yesterday evening," Daphne said. "Now that you both know my secret... let's open the door and step inside Fort Charming!"

Suddenly she put her hand into her mouth and bit it. I don't know; but I think it showed her excitement. She rushed to the door of the shack and opened it wide with a dramatic gesture.

"Oh!" Laura and I exclaimed in unison. The door didn't lead to whatever was inside the shack. It let to a yard of an enormous wooden fortress. There was everything needed in a good fortress: a living area, an armory, a mess tent, a watchtower... the list could go on and on. I heard people's voices far away, and then a woman walked towards the door that led to this strange world. The woman had dark hair and green eyes - just like Daphne's; but her face resembled Sabrina's. I guessed it was their mother. She noticed that the door was opened and shouted:

"Attention! Attention! We have guests from _that_ world!"

The next moment, the yard was full of bizarre creatures. I read about some of them in fairy tales, so I understood they were Everafters. Daphne urged Laura and me through the door, then walked through it herself.

The black-haired woman ran to her and gave her a hug, crying from happiness. A small redheaded boy appeared nearby and jumped around them, clapping his hands.

"Mom! Basil! Where's everyone else?" Daphne cried.

"The army had left for a new campaign," her mother said and noticed us. "I can see you brought friends."

"Oh yes!" Daphne gestured to Laura. "That's Ms. Laura Fairlie, I've told you about her. And this is Mr. Walter Hartright, Mr. Baxter met him at Limmeridge - remember? Laura, Walter, that's my mother Mrs. Veronica Grimm and my brother Basil."

I bowed. Laura curtsied.

"Sabrina has caught a bad cold," Daphne told Veronica. "Else she would have come too."

"Is she... is she still without memory?" Veronica asked. Tears appeared in her eyes.

"WHAT? ARE YOU TELLING ME SABRINA LOST HER MEMORY?" we heard a terrible cry. Everyone trembled. Laura squeaked with fear, and I pulled her closer. We saw a teenage golden-haired boy with pink wings appearing in the sky.

* * *

**Here comes Puck! Remember, the Grimms didn't tell him Sabrina had lost her memory.**

**What will he do? When I update the story, read the next chapter to find out.**


	14. Caught

**Chapter 13. Caught**

Laura's POV

Basil shouted something to the boy and they both walked away.

"I'll tell him, Mom," Basil said.

Daphne's mother looked like a very kind woman. When Daphne told her about me and my troubles, she smiled and assured me:

"Don't worry, Ms. Fairlie. We'll give you and Mr. Hartright a happy ending. Daphne told me that the two of you were the best friends of Sabrina's. For those who love my daughter, I'll do everything."

"Oh, thank you so much!" I exclaimed.

"Well, then, let's discuss it," Mrs. Grimm said. "C'mon, let's go to the mess tent. Are you hungry?"

"No, Mom, I have had breakfast on the farm," Daphne shook her head.

"We're not hungry either. Right, Laura?" Walter asked. I nodded. Mrs. Grimm walked all of us to the mess tent, and we sat at a large round table which was standing in the middle of the tent. An awfully fat woman, who was introduced as Mrs. Sprat, brought us coffee.

"The best drink to help you think," Mrs. Grimm chuckled as she pointed to her cup and took a sip from it. "Now, let's start. Laura, Daphne might have already told you that Sir Percival Glyde is an agent of an evil group."

"Yes, Daphne told me about it," I said. "But Sir Percival is awfully respectable and well-known. Nobody can accuse him of anything."

"There's one bad thing about him!" Daphne said. "Remember about his new best friend."

"Count Lancaster?" Walter guessed.

"Mirror, the Master of the Scarlet Hand - call him as you like," Mrs. Grimm said. "_He_'s not well-known at all, and he also pretends to be a foreigner. He can be accused of spying, being a hiding criminal - anything! Sir Percival is close with him, so he'll be accused as well."

"Mirror will escape, as he always does," Daphne grunted.

"Certainly," Mrs. Grimm laughed. "And _we _are going to catch him. We just need to get Walter and Laura away from this. They're innocent people who mustn't be involved in a war like that. They were dragged into it against their own will. They only want to get together! We'll help them by getting rid of Percival Glyde."

"While you're doing it, I'll help you with your war," Walter said eagerly. He looked so brave!

"You can use my help too," I added, taking Walter's hand.

"Thank you," Mrs. Grimm smiled. "But we can manage to do everything by ourselves. We have a large army, we possess magical powers and strong weapons. And if we do need your help, Daphne'll tell you this."

Daphne looked very proud and said:

"Uh, I don't want to seem unwelcome, but Laura can be missed in Limmeridge right now." Oh, no! I forgot about it!

"I have to go, that's true," I said.

"Walter will live in our fort for a while, if he doesn't mind," Mrs. Grimm said.

"I don't mind. In London, I live alone," Walter said. "The door to my world is not so far from Limmeridge, so Laura can visit me frequently."

"Of course!" I said lovingly.

"May I walk you to the village of Limmeridge?" Walter offered. "It's dangerous to walk alone in the fields."

"Thanks, dear. Goodbye, Mrs. Grimm, thank you very much," I curtsied. "Daphne, are you going with us?"

"Perhaps _not, _you better walk _alone,_" Daphne giggled. "I want to stay here and meet the rest of my family. I haven't seen them for ages," she added.

* * *

**Some time later (Laura didn't notice the time passing)**

We walked along the country road, which was wide and had bushes on its sides. I could see the village of Limmeridge ahead of us. It was time for me to part with Walter. But now I knew it wasn't forever!

"Goodbye, Walter," I said. "I'll come to you as often as I can. Be careful."

"Goodbye, darling," he whispered and we hugged. "In this world, Daphne lives at Todd's Corner, under the name of Eugenia Andersen. If you need urgent help, run to that farm."

"I will," I promised. "Oh, it's so wonderful know that we'll get married! Mrs. Grimm is so kind an clever, she'll help us."

"I'm sure of it too," he agreed. "Now, goodbye, Laura. People may notice us from the village."

He kissed my hand, turned around and walked away.

"See you, Walter!" I cried. He turned back for several times to wave his hand to me. Finally, he disappeared from my view, and I stood on the road nevertheless. I forgot that it was time for me to go home. I stood and stood there, imagining Walter walking back to another universe. If Mar... Sabrina wasn't left there, back in Limmeridge, I would have changed my mind and run to Walter to stay with him forever. But Sabrina _was_ in Limmeridge, and without her real memory. I had to admit to myself that it was necessary to return.

I don't know how long I stood and stared at the empty road. At last I turned to walk into the village when something fell on the road. I caught it just to find out it was my hairpin with a green gemstone. Sabrina gave it to me on my fifteenth birthday.

Suddenly I remembered that before her loss of memory, Sabrina used to talk to this hairpin! What if it was magical? I shrugged and asked the hairpin:

"What is this thing used for?"

Right after I spoke these words, the gemstone started to glow. Daphne's voice said:

"Laura, is it you?"

"Yes, it's me. Is the hairpin used for talking when you're away from each other?"

"Exactly. I didn't know Sabrina gave it to you! Now listen. I'm giving my pin to Walter, he has just returned. Wait a second."

I waited until I heard Walter's voice:

"Laura, dear, can you hear me?"

"Perfectly!" I cried happily.

"Are you in Limmeridge? Is everything all right?"

"I'm not in Limmeridge yet, I'll go there now," I said. "Walter, how wonderful! We can talk with each other!"

Then I heard some noise.

"Walter, what is it?"

"It seems like their army has returned from the battle," Walter said. "Bye, Laura. It will get _really noisy_ now."

It did get noisy in the fort, so I whispered "Bye, dear" and kissed the gemstone. After that, it stopped glowing. I put it back in my hair, when suddenly...

* * *

...my fiance, Sir Percival, got out of the bushes that grew nearby! I screamed.

"Well, _what_ is going on here, Laura?" he asked.

* * *

**Oh yes, the 13th chapter is unfortunate for poor Laura.**

**What will happen? Read Chapter 14 to find out. When it appears, of course.**


	15. Percival questions Laura

**Chapter 14. Percival questions Laura**

Laura's POV

"What is going to happen now?" I thought. "There's nobody to protect me: I've betrayed my fiance, I'm the wrong one... Walter and Daphne are far away... Sabrina's ill..."

"P-Percival?" I stuttered. He was furious but he calmed down a little when he noticed my fright and shock.

"_Dear Laura_," Sir Percival asked very calmly and slowly. "Explain yourself. Wait - not now. First, let's see what we know. I was going on my usual morning walk, getting fresh air, when I saw you with a perfectly unknown young man. Let me finish. You were talking about some 'fortress' and 'other universe'. I can't say to you why it seemed terribly suspicious to me. Wait a minute, that's not all. I hid in the bushes and listened to your conversation. When I saw you in the arms of that man, I knew that it was the man you spoke about - yesterday. Wait, Laura, here's the idea of my story. Didn't you tell me that you had betrayed me in thoughts, _only _in your thoughts? You told me so. Today I see that facts don't agree with your words. Now, please, answer my questions. Explain it."

"Percival, it was you who refused to break the engagement!.." I cried desperately. He took my hand:

"I know it very well, but, again, it was _you _who told that nothing was spoken and... done between you and that man. Not long ago I saw you hugging. How could you do it?" He spoke calmly, perhaps even softly. But that's what scared me.

"It won't happen again! I was saying farewell to him!" I gasped, trying the last chance left for me. Sir Percival laughed.

"Oh, it wasn't a farewell. My ears were good enough to hear something about 'meeting again'."

I was panicked. What was I to do? What would happen? Would Sir Percival tell Uncle and Mr. Gilmore about it? Or would he hit me now for disobeying him? Or would he track Walter down and kill him?

Sir Percival didn't do any of these things. He looked into my eyes and wondered:

"Do your uncle and your s-sister know that man?" he stammered the word "sister" a little, I heard this.

"Yes, they do," I said.

"Who's he?" I remained silent.

"Who's he? Listen, Laura, I'm not a fool. I won't tell your nervous uncle about this. I don't want a public scandal centered round you and me. Just for me to know - who's the man?"

I believed I heard threat in his voice, so I breathed "my drawing-master".

"That's all I wanted to know. At least he's respectable. Your uncle wouldn't have hired some plain peasant bohemian."

I had to walk with him to Limmeridge. My fear hadn't faded away, I felt like that wasn't all Sir Percival needed to know. I was right; in a minute he spoke up again.

"Where were you returning from?"

"We have been walking around the fields," I lied.

"No, you haven't. I heard you talking about a Fort Charming and a Daphne Grimm and the other world. You've been _there. _You've visited another universe."

"Oh, Daphne was right about him," I thought. "He's a spy of that Hand group."

"Laura, I don't want you to meet this man or that Daphne girl anymore," Sir Percival continued. "It's not all because of jealousy. I don't want you to visit that world. It's dangerous. I mean, it's dangerous that you know the truth about it. If Count Lancaster finds out..." his face blanched. I saw fear in his eyes.

Despite I couldn't stand Sir Percival, I felt concern for him.

"What?" I asked.

"Count Lancaster doesn't want anyone except his agents to know about this Scarlet Hand - and you know about it, right?" Sir Percival was talking quietly and quickly, as if he was afraid of being overheard. "He'll kill you and your _drawing-master_ if he finds out that you know. He'll think I revealed the secret, so he'll kill me. There's no escape from him!"

"I thought you were friends with that Count," I said. I had to say something.

"Friends!" Sir Percival grunted. "I'm not brave enough to consider him as a friend!"

He looked at me and sighed.

"Laura, promise me you'll forget about it. I'd even allow you to keep seeing your beloved if he forgot about another world too."

"I can't..." I whispered. "I don't want to..."

Sir Percival's face turned red with anger.

"FINE!" he snapped. "But when the Count gets to you, no one will protect you from him!"

He turned and walked away, leaving me scared and confused.

I wanted to tell Walter about it, but as I ran my hand through my hair I found out that the hairpin had disappeared somehow. I searched for it on the ground - no results. It was gone.

* * *

Walter's POV

I met the rest of the Grimm family and wanted to tell Laura about them. I took the magical hairpin from my pocket - only to find the gemstone had turned gray. I hurried to inform Daphne about it.

"Is Laura... dead? Or badly ill?" I asked.

"N-no, it's gray, not black or red," Daphne said, examining the pin. "Uncle Jake! What does it mean if the gemstone's gray?"

Mr. Jake Grimm, Daphne's uncle, came to us and looked at the pin.

"Sorry to alarm you, but it's a pretty bad sign," he said. "Laura's gemstone was destroyed."

* * *

**I like ending on cliffhangers. Especially if I don't know myself what in the world will happen next...**

**I'll think about it. Don't worry, I'll update regularly!**

**P. S. You think I forgot about Puck?**


	16. Restoring erased memory

**Finally I finished the new chapter. Puckabrina reappears HERE! Thanks to Lara D for the reviews and the idea.**

* * *

**Chapter 15. Restoring erased memory**

Puck's POV

Sabrina had lost her memory! I couldn't get over the shock. When Basil explained to me how the Scarlet Hand had gotten to her, I was really furious. Why didn't they tell me that before? I was hoping Sabrina was okay and maybe even missed me... I missed her terribly during these eight years.

"How can I save her?" I cried after Basil finished the tale.

"As for now, you have to wait. Sabrina has a strong cold - you heard what that blond girl said. When she - Sabrina, I mean - gets better..."

"Fool!" I said. "She is defenseless without memory!"

"We'll restore it in a week or a little later," Basil said. "Colds don't last long. Daphne'll urge Sabrina to come to the fort, and the Blue Fairy will give her the Anti-forgetful dust."

"I know about the Anti-forgetful dust," I argued. "It doesn't restore the whole memory, only a part."

"It's the best thing we've got," Basil sighed. "Puck, you know that I miss my sister as much as you do! But we can't restore her memory right now! You can't turn into a human like the Scarlet Hand members do."

I knew it. For several moments, I was searching for another solution, but Basil found it earlier.

"Hooray! I know what to do! Let's go to the Wicked Queen."

"What for?" I cringed. Nobody liked that pompous rude woman.

"She can put you into a body of a human - just like she did with Mirror! And the human will be put into your body."

"Great idea!" I said sarcastically. "Now all we need is a human who'll agree to this temporary switch. Ugh! I'll better wait till Sabrina recovers and Daphne brings her to us."

"No, no!" Basil smiled. "That human would be me."

"What? You had been possessed already!" I was impressed by the boy's words.

"I won't be possessed now," he laughed. "My mind will be free. You'll rescue my sister, and I - well, I'll manage somehow. But don't tell Mom, Dad and the rest of the family about the plan! They'd never allow it."

"Of course not," I said. Now that Basil was so determined, I agreed to the plan. It was going to be awesome! Sabrina would soon remember everything again!

"I'm going to tell that I forgot to inform Daphne of something," Basil thought up the details. "Then we'll visit the Wicked Queen, make the switch, and you'll march straight inside that universe. I'll play your role as good as possible. When you return, we'll switch bodies again. And my sister will be herself!"

"Excellent!" I admitted. "I'll go and tell the Queen."

I flew to the cabin where Bunny Lancaster lived. I was so happy. Very soon, I was going to meet my beloved Sabrina again!

* * *

**Limmeridge. Four and a half hours later**

Sabrina/Marian's POV

Laura was gone for very long. Sometimes I had even been afraid that she eloped with Walter! Thankfully, no. She returned, rather pale, but with a smile on her face. She didn't say a word about Walter, she just said:

"Sorry, Marian. You've been worried about me, I'm sure! But everything was fine. I only met Anne Catherick, who has recently healed! She introduced me to her new friends and invited me to visit her. I couldn't decline the invitation! And on my way home, I met Percival, and we have chattered for half an hour or so."

Chattered? With Sir Percival? Three hours after Walter's departure?

Perhaps Laura didn't love Walter as much as I thought. It was a small affair which appeared after reading romance novels. Many romance novels are about a rich girl falling in love with her teacher.

I was relieved. "Laura's marriage won't be unhappy now," I thought. Yet I was feeling disappointed at the same time.

Laura and I had dinner. Laura was very joyful and talkative and she didn't mention Walter at all. That wasn't right. I began to think she was acting, trying to hide her broken heart. I wanted to ask her about that, when a knock on the front door stopped my deep thoughts. The door-keeper announced:

"Master Basil Catherick, the cousin of Ms. Anne Catherick!"

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "I forgod thad Anne had a cousid," I couldn't talk properly with my cold.

A redheaded boy, about eight years old, stepped into the room. He had big green shiny eyes, round face and a mischievous smile. ...Why did the smile remind me of someone else?..

"Ms. Halcombe," the boy bowed to me. "Ms. Fairlie," he bowed to Laura. "Pleased and honored to meet you both."

"The honor is ours. Entirely," Laura smiled. "I've met you before, haven't I? Are you really Basil Catherick?"

"Well, I'll tell you why I came here," the boy said, ignoring Laura's questions. "Ms. Halcombe, you remember me, right?"

"I... I... I think you remind me of someone," I said. "Your smile is familiar. Your looks are familiar."

"Great!" the boy said. "Now, do you know my family?"

"I know nobody but Anne."

"Try to remember!" he cried. "A tall blond-haired man with blue eyes and a round face, 36 years old, a man who didn't allow his daughters to read fairytales! Who's he?"

Laura stood still, confused.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. But he was waiting for an answer. I searched my mind for a man like this. Suddenly, I believed I knew him! His name was... I concentrated. His name was... Harold! No, no. Not this. Hubert, Herbert... something with "H".

"His name starts with "H"?" I guessed aloud.

"EXACTLY!" the boy cried. "Henry. His name's Henry!"

Henry! Of course! I wanted to remember something else about him. I closed my eyes. Faint flashes of past appeared in front of them. That man... accompanied by a smiling gorgeous brunette. The woman was even more familiar for me.

"That Henry person... was he married?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, indeed," the boy nodded.

Who was his wife? She had a beautiful name.

"Vera - was this his wife's name?"

"You almost guessed right," the boy snickered. "Veronica, to be exact."

Yes, Veronica! Suddenly, a flow of blurry memories fled into my mind. I put my hand on my forehead. It was hard to recognize anything in the blur!

"Did you _ever _wake up because a tarantula crawled into your room?" Basil said unexpectedly. One of the memories became clear. I recalled myself as a twelve-year-old, a small dark-haired girl by my side, and a large spider in our room. Then - an old short woman in a nightgown rushing inside with a samurai sword...

I concentrated a little more - and remembered everything.

* * *

**At last!**


	17. The wedding

**Chapter 16. The wedding**

Sabrina's POV

I remembered everything! Henry and Veronica, my parents. Daphne, my sister. Basil - the redheaded boy - my brother! Puck (I sighed) - my only true love! Uncle Jake, Granny, Mr. Canis, Red, Elvis, Goldilocks and all the people I knew and loved before. And I recalled my name: Sabrina Grimm.

"I remember! I remember myself!" I cried. Laura and Basil grinned. I guessed that Laura already knew everything about my identity.

"Sabrina, I've been waiting for it!" Laura said. "Daphne told Walter and me about the other universe. I know all about you! And this boy - he's your brother, I've met him already! Walter and I visited the fort today!"

I looked at Basil. Something wasn't right about him. The mischievous smirk and the shining eyes should have belonged to someone else.

"You're... you're not Basil," I said. "You look more like Puck in Basil's body."

"Exactly, _ugly_," Puck laughed. "It was all Basil's idea. The Wicked Queen helped us with the switch."

I danced around the room. Puck told me the news from the fort, also adding:

"We all miss you very much. I miss you too."

"Oh, I'll tell Daphne today!" Laura exclaimed. "She lives at the farm not far from Limmeridge. She'll be so happy!"

After ten minutes of cheering and happiness, I calmed down.

"So, Laura, didn't you say you visited Fort Charming along with Walter?" I wanted to know. "You still love Walter?"

Laura lowered her head:

"I do," she said. "Walter stayed in the fort - it's more safe there. But he walked me to the village of Limmeridge before saying the last of the goodbyes..."

"To the village?" I cried. "It was risky! You could have run into Sir Percival."

"That's precisely what happened," Laura's eyes welled with tears. "Sir Percival saw me hugging Walter. He hid in the bushes and overheard us talking. When Walter went away, Sir Percival got out of the bushes... He was very calm - _looked_ calm, maybe even gentle - but I saw his eyes. He was boiling mad. He knows that I know about the Scarlet Hand! He wanted me to forget about this story, he said 'I'll allow you to keep seeing your beloved if you forget about the other universe and all related to it.' I... I was so shocked! I told him I couldn't do it. He became very angry and went away. And... and..." Laura burst into tears. "Percival stole the communication gemstone!.."

"What?" Puck and me exclaimed in unison. Perhaps we seemed furious, because Laura broke into a hysterical fit. Poor girl, she has such a soft character! I hurried to call for the maidservants.

* * *

**Two hours later**

Puck had stayed in Limmeridge for two hours, but then he had to depart. He was needed in the fort.

The servants gave Laura some cold water, and she recovered from her fit, but she still felt very sorry about it. I had to assure her that it wasn't her fault. When the girl finally wiped tears away and smiled, relieved, the door-keeper entered the hall and announced:

"Sir Glyde and Mr. Gilmore want to discuss the marriage of Ms. Fairlie with her and Mr. Fairlie."

It was awful! Sir Percival insisted that the wedding would take place as soon as possible. He gave Laura two weeks to prepare for it! Mr. Fairlie wanted Laura to marry soon as well; he didn't his precious nerves to suffer for longer than a fortnight! What cruelty! How selfish they are! Laura seemed struck. I was SO furious that I had to leave the room. I was afraid that else I'd have thrown my teacup at Sir Percival or Mr. Fairlie.

When Mr. Gilmore and Sir Percival left, Laura came to me running. She was in tears again.

"Sabrina! Prepare yourself for the worst!" she gasped. "When Walter and I were talking, we mentioned Daphne's address. Sir Percival overheard it and he had to tell Count Lancaster about it! Count Lancaster knew where Daphne lived! So Daphne has just been taken to another asylum for crazies!"

"Who told you that?" I cried.

"Sir Percival!" Laura sobbed. "I think he feels a little sympathy for me. He told me to forget about the Scarlet Hand again, if I don't want to end up like Daphne!"

I thought that my bad luck hadn't ended. First Daphne taken to an asylum, then my memory erased, then Laura's heartbreak, then Daphne taken again!

"I'll try to come to the fort and plan her rescue!" I said. "Thank goodness that Sir Percival thinks I still lack memory!"

* * *

**Two weeks later**

Laura's POV

No plan against Sir Percival and Count Lancaster was constructed. Daphne hadn't been rescued. Two weeks is too soon to make a plan and to do everything of it!

Walter is still in the fort. He goes to battles along with the Everafters. He's so kind and brave! But even he couldn't make everyone in the fort work fast to help us.

At least Daphne's rescue is almost fully planned. It will occur in a week or so, as Sabrina had said. But nothing could be done to prevent my marriage. Today was my wedding day. I didn't even try to play a happy bride. When I was saying my "yes", I lowered my head, or everyone would have noticed my tears.

That's the end of all. Sabrina went to tell Walter about my marriage. I didn't want her to do it, but Walter would have found out the truth anyway.

"It's better for him to know it now," Sabrina said.

Sir Percival and I left for Blackwater Park, his estate in Hampshire. Farewell, my dear old Limmeridge! Goodbye, Sabrina! The only thing I took with me was the file with Walter's drawings. Sir Percival himself allowed me to do it.

I, Lady Laura Glyde, feel terrible!

* * *

**Something like a cliffhanger - again!**


	18. Blackwater Park

**Chapter 17. Blackwater Park**

**A week after Laura's marriage**

Sabrina's POV

Despite the fact that I have to live near the door between the worlds, I've decided to move to Blackwater Park. Walter agreed with me. He was heartbroken, and he knew Laura needed protection.

I wrote a letter to Sir Percival Glyde, asking for his permission. I was shocked when he wholeheartedly agreed to my offer! He wrote:

_Laura seems quite unhappy since the wedding. She rarely ever smiles. Perhaps, Ms. Halcombe, you could cheer her up a little. She doesn't speak to me, and she's terribly afraid of Count Lancaster, who's living at Blackwater Park as a guest. I don't want my wife to feel so lonely in her own home._

I said goodbye to Mr. Fairlie and his weak nerves, I wrote a note to Walter where I explained my departure, and I ordered a carriage to Blackwater Park, Hampshire.

* * *

Blackwater Park was a beautiful estate. It had a garden three times as large as Limmeridge Gardens, with a fabulous dark lake (that's why the estate was called Blackwater). The residence of Sir Percival was a small but impressive castle, which was built about four hundred years ago.

I arrived there late in the evening. The housekeeper, Mrs. Michaelson, informed me:

"Sir and Lady Glyde are in the sitting room. They are having supper. Count Lancaster is in his workroom."

Oh, it was good for me. I wanted to have a little rest from the long trip before encountering Mirror.

I took my coat off and walked to the sitting room. Sir Percival and Laura were sitting at a little table. They were eating green salad. Sir Percival looked tired and frowned, and Laura was obviously frightened. When she saw me, though, a smile of delight came on her face.

"S... Marian!" she squealed and ran to hug me. Sir Percival stood up and said:

"Hello, Ms. Halcombe. Pleased to meet you. Sit down, have some salad. I'll call the servants to carry your bag to your room."

"Thank you," I said politely and settled myself on the sofa, by Laura's side. A servant carried my bag somewhere upstairs, and Mrs. Michaelson brought me a plate of salad. Laura was showering me with questions about Limmeridge.

"How's Uncle? Are his nerves the same? Or a little worse? Are the lilies in my garden still in full blossom?" Fortunately, she was clever enough not to ask me about Walter, Daphne and Fort Charming. Sir Percival pretended to be fully concerned on the salad, but I knew he was listening to us.

When the supper was finished, Laura showed me my room. We closed the door of it, and I finally told her the news from the other world:

"Walter's heartbroken, I have to admit, but he's healthy and unharmed in the battles. Daphne'll be rescued tomorrow. I don't know the details of the plan, sorry, Laura. Everyone's worried about you mostly, because Daphne's in a good asylum. She's treated well at least. You are in the company of Sir Glyde and Mirror. Tell me: how do you live here with them?"

"Uh, well, Sir Percival seems to be concerned about me," Laura stuttered. "He allows me to have as much free time as I want. When I encounter Count Lancaster, Percival always distracts him with some stupid question. Oh, Sabrina, I'm so frightened! Count Lancaster is a very, very dangerous man! He's always nice and soft and pleasant, but there's something _bad_ about him. Even Percival is afraid of Count Lancaster! Sabrina, try to protect people from him! Please!"

"That's why I've been sent here from my world," I said. "Laura, so did I hear it right? Sir Percival is relatively kind with you?"

"He's very kind with me when we're alone, but he speaks coldly in the presence of the Count!" Laura gasped.

"Laura, Laura, calm down!" I smiled. "It's not all bad here, as I see now. You're alive and well, nobody has injured you or spoken rudely to you. When Daphne gets out of the freaky house for crazies, we'll defeat Mirror together and think about divorcing you with Sir Percival. Everything will be all right."

"Are you sure?" Laura asked.

"I promise," I whispered. "Now go to bed, Laura, and tomorrow Daphne's going to be rescued."

* * *

When Laura was gone, I took my shoes off and crept to the door of the sitting room. I heard some man's voices from there.

I was right! Sir Percival was talking to Mirror. I knelt down near the door to eavesdrop.

"Sabrina has just arrived," Sir Percival said. "She's still without memory."

"Great!" Mirror replied. "What's her fake name? I forgot it."

"Marian Halcombe, sir."

"A nice name, by the way. Is Daphne still in the asylum?" Mirror's voice seemed gentle indeed, but it scared me to the depths of my mind.

"Y-yes, she is."

"You stuttered a little, Percival. Did Daphne run away?"

"Y-yes, sir, actually, she did, but we caught her."

"Did she talk to any people who associate with Limmeridge?"

"No!" Sir Percival said suddenly. I was confused. Why did he lie to the man he was so afraid of?

"You sure?"

"We questioned her."

"Excellent... Maybe I can call you a clever person, Percival."

"Thank you, sir."

"I hope you won't tell your wife about my little agency."

"Of course not, sir! My wife is a childish, silly, naive blonde. She'd tell everyone what she knew if I told her."

"That's right. I know about this type of people. I suppose she's a beautiful blonde?"

"She's the most beautiful woman I ever met."

"You seem to be attracted to her."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, when my plan succeeds, you and your wife will be one of the survivors of it. Although your wife isn't our agent. Would that please you?"

"Certainly, sir!"

"Now I'm going to my workroom. I'll sent some Forgetful Dust to the asylum tomorrow. It will be given to Daphne. Her memory doesn't deserve to exist."

Mirror was going to the door of the sitting room. I hurried upstairs and barely could reach my room without incidents. When I came there, I stood still for a while, catching my breath and acknowledging the information I got.


	19. Between love and hate

**Chapter 18. Between love and hate**

Percival's POV

Count Lancaster turned and left the room. I sighed with relief. At last! I can't explain my fear of him. He never shouts, he never threatens, he never loses his temper in any way. And yet... I'm afraid of this Count. I'm _very_ afraid of him.

How in the world can I protect my wife if I'm frightened myself? Laura is always pale and trembling when the Count is around. Laura... I smiled. She has changed, grown up so much and at the same time remained a little girl in her heart. Such a gentle character. Such a tender soul. Such a sweet smile (only she has never smiled since our wedding!) Plus a quick mind and lovely looks. Laura's a perfect woman. The trouble is her heart belongs to that drawing-master.

Why did I lie to the Count today? I could have told him about that man. I knew that he had been a good friend of Daphne's.

If I did tell the Count about Laura's beloved, the man would have been caught within days - no, hours. The Count would have questioned and then executed him. Laura would have come to me and accuse me of that. I imagined how she'd have done it:

"Percival, I know that it was you. You knew that Walter (I've overheard her beloved's name) and Daphne were friends. You urged the Count to capture Walter. It's all _your _fault. I hate you for that!"

Then Laura would have had a nervous breakdown and she'd have never spoken to me again. Maybe she would have even killed herself. I'd have never been able to live it down.

I know it all very well. So, the moment before I was going to tell the Count about Walter, something had stopped me.

* * *

Does Laura hate me right now? I think she does. After all, it was me who ruined her happiness. But she speaks to me (sometimes); when my friends come for visits, she plays a perfect young wife. If she hates me, at least she can _stand_ my presence.

Sometimes I think it's better to divorce her. Divorcing is awfully difficult, but I have enough money for such thing. But first, there are no obvious good reasons for breaking our marriage! We both act like a perfect couple in society. We never quarrel or fight. I never get drunk. Since our wedding, Laura has never cheated on me. We don't even argue with each other (that's because Laura rarely talks to me). Divorce can't be organized without a proper reason.

Second, Count Lancaster is planning something horrible against the whole world. Only his agents will survive the catastrophe. Laura's not one of his agents, but I am. She'll survive because she's my wife. If we divorce, the Count will kill her. I won't allow it!

Third, I don't want to be separated with Laura.

* * *

Laura's POV

It's dark and cold in my room. The sky is covered with thick black clouds. The only light comes from downstairs, from the sitting room, to be exact. Percival and Count Lancaster are talking. I'm so afraid of the two of them! I'm sure they're planning something... disastrous.

My dear Walter's far away, in another world... He's taking part in magical battles. I hope he won't get hurt! Sabrina mentioned that he was heartbroken by the news of my marriage. Oh, Walter! How can we meet now? Will I ever see you once more? Please be all right! At least you must be safe and happy.

Sabrina came to protect me. How brave of her! If I had any choice, I wouldn't have come to Blackwater Park for a million pounds. Oh, if only Count Lancaster doesn't harm Sabrina! I love her like a real sister.

Daphne's at the asylum for crazies. I envy her strong mind so much! If I spent eight years in such an asylum, and then was brought there for the second time, I'd have literally gone absolutely insane.

I sit at the window, watching the cloudy sky and thinking about my dearest friends. It's time for me to go to sleep, but I'm not able to fall asleep in the house of Blackwater Park. That's why I always look tired.

* * *

Sabrina's POV

I wrote a letter to Walter about the conversation I had just overheard. The postman would come early in the morning, I thought, so my letter would be received around noon. I warned Walter:

_Mirror's sending the Forgetful Dust to the asylun for crazies. The dust will be given to Daphne if you don't do anything as soon as you can! Hurry with your plan, please. If Daphne loses her memory, we'll turn perfectly helpless. _

_Oh, by the way, Laura's relatively fine and Sir Percival's very kind with her. Only she's terrified of Count Lancaster/Mirror. Take care of yourself, Walter. She's worried about you._

I sealed the envelope up and put it into the letterbox.

"That's all!" I sighed. "Now I can probably go to sleep, if nothing else happens."

* * *

Mrs. Michaelson's POV

It's really hard to work as a housekeeper in a family like _that_. Although it seems perfect, I doubt it's truly happy. Lord and Lady Glyde both look frightened of something, and Lady Glyde frequently has nightmares. Their friend, Count Lancaster, is a pleasant man, but there _is_ something bad about him. And now Lady Glyde's stepsister! Ms. Halcombe. She looked worried and displeased when she arrived. She didn't look better when I saw her some time later.

In Blackwater Park, I'm breathing the atmosphere of suspense, fear, and evil. I'm going to leave it the next month. I can find a job better than this one.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**SPOILER FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER:**

**It will contain the plan of Daphne's rescue, and also Mirror's evil plans.**


	20. Breaking into the asylum

**Chapter 19. Breaking into the asylum**

Walter's POV

Today Mrs. Grimm, Mr. Henry Grimm, Basil and I are going to rescue Daphne from the asylum for crazies. If our plan succeeds, Daphne will be free and won't lose her memory and senses. If not... well, I don't want to think what happens. I try to believe that good things exist. I try to believe in good people. But in fact, after Laura's marriage, it's very hard for me.

* * *

**Three hours later**

We went to the door between the worlds and stepped into my world. The Grimms were disguised as ordinary people, not very rich, not very poor. Nobody would suspect that Henry Grimm's plain leather bag contained a sword and two guns, that Veronica Grimm was a trained fistfighter, or that Basil had an almost magical thing in the pocket of his jacket. The thing was called "mobilephone" and worked like the communication gemstones I used to talk with Laura. If something went really wrong, Basil would call for help using the mobilephone.

I have already found out the address of Daphne's asylum, so we didn't have to search for the way. We came to the building of the asylum in less than an hour.

The plan was the following. Basil would act as a crazy kid, and Mr. and Mrs. Grimm would bring him inside. He'd be put into the asylum, and he'd go into Daphne's room and jump with Daphne through the window. I'd catch them.

I stood near the doors of the buiding and watched the Grimms coming inside. Basil was talking complete nonsense, just like an insane person:

"Hello, everyone! Where are the trombones? His Excellency, the Prince of Abracadabrium, is now entering this glorious palace! Oh, and don't forget to clean your yard. The ground is covered with purple foolishness."

A doctor met the Grimms in the hall and asked:

"Good morning, sir. Good morning, ma'am. I'm Professor Dull. What can we do for you?"

"Our son fell from a roof and hit his head a while back," Henry said. "Something has happened to his mind since then. He talks nonsense, he doesn't remember us or any of our relatives..."

"Hi, sir!" Basil interrupted. "My sister has fallen ill. She absolutely needs some charcoals to get better! Do you sell charcoals? I have enough gold to pay for them."

"Poor boy!" the doctor said. "He needs medical attention at once."

"Can you heal him soon?" Veronica wanted to know, with fake tears on her face.

"Well, I don't know what do you mean by 'soon', but we've managed to heal such people. It will take two months, maybe more. You'll have to pay a hundred pounds a week."

"I'm sorry, sir, but this is insane!" Henry shouted. "We are not the Royals!"

"Ninety pounds."

"Twenty a week is the highest price I can agree for," Henry snapped.

"Eighty."

"We are giving you all of our money to heal our son!" Veronica sobbed. "Are you heartless?"

"Fine, let's first get the boy into his room, and then we'll discuss the price," Professor Dull suggested. He called for a nurse who gently urged Basil to follow her. Basil, still chattering to himself, obeyed.

I ran to the window of Daphne's room. In twenty minutes or so, Daphne and Basil jumped from the second floor, and I caught Daphne. Basil fell into a tree. When he climbed down, we waited for Henry and Veronica to come out and when they did, we ran away as fast as we could.

At least, we tried to run away. In a hundred feet, we ran into several men, all dressed in armor, with their swords drawn. They were lead by an ugly man with dark hair, a horrible scar on the face and a goatee.

"It's Nottingham!" Daphne squeaked.

"By order of Count Lancaster, we're taking you for imprisonment," the man snapped.

"What for?" Veronica cried.

"For freeing a dangerous crazy."

The men surrounded us. We tried to fight, and Basil took out that mobilephone to call for help. But we were soon defeated, and that Nottingham man shattered the mobilephone with his dagger.

Then Nottingham took out five pairs of handcuffs and started handcuffing our hands. The moment he turned to Daphne, she suddenly punched him in the face. Nottingham was stunned. Blood appeared on his cheek. Daphne punched him for the second time, broke free from the confused guards and stormed away.

"Catch her!" Nottingham cried.

"It's impossible," one of the guards said.

"Fools," Nottingham said. "Well, let's escort the rest of them to the prison."

* * *

Sabrina's POV

I woke up with a strange feeling. It seemed that something bad had happened.

I got dressed and walked downstairs. The first person I saw in the hall was Mirror. I tried not to tremble or stutter, smiled and curtsied:

"Good morning. You must be Count Lancaster."

Mirror looked at me and laughed:

"And you must be Sabrina Grimm."

"What are you talking about?" I cried. "My name is Ms. Marian Halcombe."

"Don't play innocent with me," Mirror said. "I've read your letter to Walter Hartright. It's really risky to leave a letter in a letterbox, you know."

I lost control and screamed:

"How did you guess..."

"That you have restored your memory?" Mirror finished. "Well, it's because Percival lied to me. He told me that your little sister was caught twenty minutes after she ran away from the asylum. I checked it, and found it out to be a lie. Daphne has been free for a long time and made some friends. One of them was a drawing-master of yours. So I thought that Daphne _might_ have restored your memory using his help.

"I've decided to watch you. I could have been wrong! So today, at five in the morning, I checked the letterbox and read your letter."

"And Daphne's..." I started, but Mirror interrupted again:

"I don't know where all of them are... yet. I sent Nottingham to catch them, but it will take some time for Nottingham's messengers to get to Blackwater Park. Now please stop shouting. Percival is coming down here, accompanied by his wife."

I looked up and saw Percival and Laura walking down the stairway.


	21. The girl in scarlet appears again

**Chapter 20. The girl in scarlet appears again**

Sabrina's POV

"Good morning, Count Lancaster. Good morning, Ms. Halcombe," Sir Percival said. Laura managed to smile and gave me a nod.

"Good morning, Percival," Mirror said. "I'm surprised that you could even see me, because you look completely blind. Sabrina Grimm has restored her memory, and you didn't notice it."

Percival blanched.

"S-s-s-orry, sir-r," he stammered. "I hon-n-nest-t-t-ly did-dn't s-s-suspect it."

"Of course not," Mirror replied. "But I think you knew that Daphne Grimm had found a lot of friends after running away from that asylum. Why did you lie to me about this, Percival?"

Percival's eyes grew wide, and he looked at Laura, then at me, as if searching for help.

"Let's assume it was an honest mistake as well," Mirror continued with a pleasant smile. "But if you lie to me once more, you're going to pay for this with your life. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Percival sighed with relief. "So, what are we going to do with Sabrina?"

Mirror glanced at me:

"Percival, I'm not stupid enough to discuss this in front of her. Right now, the only wise decision is to keep her here. Tell some servants to keep an eye on her."

"But sir, the door of the house is always locked, and I have the keys..."

"Shut up," Mirror said kindly. "I know Sabrina better than you do. She's famous for breaking different locks."

I listened to this horrible conversation, and I didn't know what to do: I was helpless! I could threaten these men if I wanted to. But then, I'd be captured, judged, and sentenced to imprisonment for attacking respectable people. Laura'd be left here without any protection. So, I had to remain quiet.

Sir Percival called Mrs. Michaelson to serve the breakfast. Mirror was the only one who ate it, in fact. Percival and Laura were both too frightened, and I was careful. Mirror could have put Forgetful Dust or some kind of poison into the food!

When the breakfast ended, Laura jumped on her feet.

"I have a bad headache," she said. "I need a walk in the garden. I'll be back in two hours or so. Can I go right now?"

"Sure," Percival said. It was clear that Laura wanted to get away from Mirror for a little while. I envied her.

"Now, Percival, call some servant to keep an eye on Sabrina," Mirror ordered. Percival called for the silliest servant in the house: a dull fat woman named Margaret. He told her:

"Margaret, you must watch Ms. Halcombe. Don't allow her to go out of the house."

"Yes, Sir Glyde," Margaret said with a foolish smile.

"Watch Ms. Halcombe indeed!" I mumbled and went upstairs. In two minutes, I heard Mirror going to his mysterious workroom too. Sir Percival was alone downstairs, so there was no dialogue to overhear. I've decided to rest. Margaret went to my room and stepped on the balcony: she was going to make sure I wouldn't jump out of the window.

* * *

**Four hours later**

Laura came running to my room, wiping tears away. I was sure something horrible had happened.

"Laura, what's it?" I exclaimed.

"It's Daphne... she came to the garden..." Laura spoke in a hysterical voice. "Nobody saw her... she was hiding in the rosebush... she wore her scarlet gown... she found me and said... Walter's been captured... Mr. and Mrs. Grimm and Basil have been captured... Count's soldiers... brought them... along... the road to... Limmeridge!.."

"What? Did Daphne find out the location of their prison?"

"She told me... she tracked them down... and... and... saw... a secret passageway... not far from the village of Limmeridge!"

"Oh, Laura, but it's wonderful!" I said. "I know that a part of my family, along with Walter, has been caught. Mirror told me... Never mind," I didn't want to scare the already frightened girl. "So, the only thing I needed to know was where they were taken. Now that Daphne's here, I'll try to meet her, and she'll tell me the exact location of that place. I'll write a letter to Fort Charming, and Charming will send a rescue group."

''But what if Mirror reads the letter?"

"He has already read one of my letters, so from now on I'll be _very_ careful. I know what to do with the letter!"

"Sabrina, thank you, thank you so much!" Laura smiled through tears. "I have felt terrible - until you came!"

"Try to believe in a bright future," I told her. "We'll fix all the problems, Laura!"

We hugged, and Laura went to her room. I shouted to that dull maidservant:

"Margaret, Laura forgot a ruby brooch in the garden! Could you search for it?"

"I must keep an eye on you," Margaret replied with a yawn. "Ms. Fairlie can find a brooch by herself." She returned from the balcony, grinning like a fool. I clenched my fists in rage.

"First, stop talking to me like this," I snapped. "Second, Laura can't go to the garden again - she... she twisted her ankle. Third, you must obey me: I'm the sister-in-law of Sir Glyde's!"

"All right, but you'll go to the garden too," Margaret said. "I must keep an eye on you. By order of Sir Glyde."

"That's the best choice," I nodded. We went outside to the garden together. Luckily Margaret was so awfully stupid! When we got far enough from the house, I suddenly turned to her and punched her in the face. Her ever-present foolish smirk faded.

"Uh, what are you..." she started, but I punched her again and again and again. It looked like she hadn't studied martial arts.

"Now listen!" I said. "You're going away from Blackwater Park, never to return," I searched my purse and took out all of my money. "Here's your salary. It's more than you deserve. You're fired, Margaret Portcher. You're fired for being this rude with me. Learn your place. Go!"

Margaret was stunned. I raised my fist again, so she snatched the money and hurried away. When I was sure she was gone, I started to search for Daphne.

* * *

After twenty minutes or so, I lost hope. Perhaps Daphne visited Blackwater Park only to tell Laura the latest news, and then she went to Cumberland to rescue our family and Walter by herself.

I glanced at a couple of rosebushes, all covered in crimson roses. Wait! Laura mentioned Daphne had hidden in a rosebush.

"Daphne!" I called. No response. "Daphne! Are you there?"

I knelt down and pushed the branches away. There, in the middle of red rose petals (just like in blood), lay an unconscious dark-haired girl in a scarlet gown, scarlet dress, and scarlet shoes.


	22. Fanny's story

**Chapter 21. Fanny's story**

Sabrina's POV

I leaned over the girl and turned her body to look at her face. And the biggest surprise ever came... The girl was a perfect stranger to me. She had dark braids, she was dressed in the same clothes as Daphne, she was my sister's age and height, she had her figure. But her face was different. The girl had a tanned complexion and a crooked nose.

"Wake up, miss!" I shook her gently. "Wake up!"

At last, the girl's coal black eyes opened wide and she whimpered:

"Don't hurt me anymore... please..."

"I'm not going to hurt you," I said. "Who are you?"

One of her dark braids fell upon her face. She looked at it, confused.

"What's that?"

"Your hair," I said.

"It's not my hair! My hair is brown!" she took both of the braids and pulled them away. In fact, her head was covered with a dark wig! Her real hair was much lighter and it was short and curly.

"Sorry, miss, but what's your name? And what happened to you?" I repeated my question. The girl sat down, trembling. I smiled reassuringly, and she finally spoke:

"My name's Fanny Smith. I work as a maidservant. I used to live in London, but two days ago I received a letter from _Lady Laura Glyde, Blackwater Park, Hampshire_. Lady Glyde offered me a job of her personal servant. She promised me a fantastic salary, so I agreed without any thoughts. I got here yesterday evening. A fat ugly woman with black hair, about forty years old, met me in the garden. She told me that she was Lady Glyde. Suddenly, she gave me these clothes and told me to put them on - to cover the dress I've been wearing. 'The dress is ugly,' she said. 'We're having a party tonight, I need you there right now. You don't have time to change your dress.' I obeyed her, and suddenly she raised her fist and hit me several times... and then there was nothingness... and then I lay in the rosebush, with you standing here."

"Your employer was an impostor!" I said firmly. "Lady Glyde is a beautiful blonde, she's a little younger than me. Moreover, she already has a maidservant, a very good one, so there was no need for her to hire you."

"Oh!" Fanny burst into tears. "I've wasted so much money to get to Hampshire..."

"Don't worry," I smiled. "I'm Lady Glyde's stepsister, my name is Ms. Halcombe. You'll be my servant instead."

The girl was so happy! She wiped her tears away, and I told her:

"Let's go to my room. I'll give you a new dress and feed you, Fanny. Then I'll tell everyone about my new maidservant, and you'll be given a room. Would that suit you?"

"Oh, Ms. Halcombe, you're so kind!" Fanny said.

We had to use the ivory to climb to the balcony of my room. I gave poor Fanny one of my old dresses, fed her and brushed her hair. Then I told her to climb down to the garden and to knock on the front door.

So Fanny did. She told Mrs. Michaelson that I had hired her, and Mrs. Michaelson supposedly told Sir Percival about it. Anyway, Fanny came to me, grinning widely:

"I have a room now! Thank you so much, Ms. Halcombe!"

* * *

Fanny had been saved, but Daphne hadn't been found. Fanny was obviously meant to look exactly like Daphne. But Mirror knows that I'm no fool... He certainly figured that I'd find out the truth very soon. So, why was Fanny dressed like Daphne? I thought about it and realized:

"Oh, of course! I've wasted almost an hour to hire Fanny! The plan was used to distract me for a little while!"

I thought I'd better go and overhear the dialogue in the sitting room. Sir Percival was there for certain, and perhaps Laura or Mirror were there as well.

I took my shoes off and tiptoed down the stairs. The door of the sitting room was closed, and I sat on the floor near it. As I listened to the dialogue in the room, I understood that there were Laura and Sir Percival talking there. Sir Percival was speaking when I came:

"...it must have been hard. Laura, it's for our own good! You have to stop dealing with Daphne Grimm and the rest of these people. The Count has captured your beloved, your friends and probably Daphne too. Who will he suspect next? I think it will be Sabrina. After her, he'll get _us_."

"Percival, please!" Laura sobbed. "You know I just can't rub away my best friends from my memory!"

"Fine, Laura. Your friendship doesn't have to end. Just stop fighting with the Scarlet Hand."

"The Scarlet Hand hurt my friends."

"Laura!.. You'll be killed by Count Lancaster!"

"What does it matter to _you_, Percival? It's none of your concern!"

"What do you mean - none of my concern? Laura, I'm your husband!" Sir Percival said warmly. There was a long pause. Finally, Laura said:

"Percival, you know that I don't love you. I can't betray my friends and Walter for you. If you're attracted to me, you can help us!"

"I can't!" Sir Percival cried. "The Count will burn me with his lightning!"

"All right, do what you want," Laura said. "I'll never become a friend of the Scarlet Hand." She suddenly started crying, and I heard her sobs and Sir Percival's soft low voice: he was trying to calm his wife down. After ten minutes, Laura sighed bitterly and said:

"Percival, leave me alone."

I heard Sir Percival's footsteps towards the door, so I immediately hid behind the stairway. Sir Percival went outside, and I rushed to the sitting room. Laura was sitting there, still in tears.

"Sabrina!" she said, when she saw me. "Percival has told me where Daphne is! She's been disguised to look like some maidservant! And she was sent to London hours ago!"


	23. Daphne looks for the prison

**Chapter 22. Daphne looks for the prison**

Daphne's POV

After I met Laura in the garden of Blackwater Park, I decided to stay there for a little while. I covered my face with the hood of my coat and hid in the rosebush again.

"Nobody would find me here," I thought. "My clothes are red as the roses on this bush."

I was mistaken! Ten minutes passed, and a window on the first floor opened wide. Mirror looked out of it. I was hoping it didn't matter, but then Mirror got out of the window and jumped on the ground. I felt like I forgot to breathe. He was standing five feet away from my rosebush. Suddenly, he took a communication gemstone out of his pocket. It looked exactly like the gemstone I used.

"Nottingham, Daphne Grimm is hiding in the garden," Mirror said into the gemstone. "Come to Blackwater Park with your group and catch her!"

"I'll be here in a minute, Master," Nottingham's familiar voice replied.

"I'm giving you thirty-five seconds," Mirror snapped and put the stone back into the pocket. I tried not to shudder. Thirty-five seconds were like an hour for me.

I saw Nottingham and several armored men getting into the garden. It was the same group that captured Mom, Dad, Walter and Basil.

"Where's she?" Nottingham asked loudly.

"Shout just a little louder," Mirror said sarcastically. "Yell. The police might not hear you, but Sabrina Grimm certainly will."

"Sorry..." Nottingham mumbled. "So where's Daphne hiding?"

Mirror pointed to my rosebush:

"I've overheard Laura talking to Sabrina about Daphne's hiding place. Starfish thinks she's the only one who can eavesdrop! Search every single rosebush. Make it quick and quiet."

"Yes, Master," the group said in unison. They went to different rosebushes. One of them came to mine, noticed me and signaled everyone about it.

"What are you waiting for?" Mirror asked. The man nodded and threw his fist at my face...

* * *

I opened my eyes. I was lying on a couch in some hotel. The Queen of Hearts and Glinda the (not) Good Witch were standing near me.

"Hello, Daphne," Glinda said. "Not Daphne anymore, though. Look at yourself."

I jumped up, pushed them away and rushed to a mirror hanging on the wall.

I saw an unknown girl in there. The girl had short curly brown hair, tanned face, and a crooked nose. She was dressed in a plain gray dress, suitable for a servant. For a moment, I hoped that the mirror was in fact a door to another room, a copy of this one, and the girl was some stranger, hired to confuse me. I opened my mouth - the girl opened hers. I raised my left hand - the girl raised her right hand. I ran to her, she ran to me, and I nearly smashed a clear cold mirror.

The girl was _me_!

"What did you do with me?" I shouted at the Queen of Hearts. She grinned:

"Nothing so terrible. Glinda cut your hair, dyed it brown and made it curly. I put some makeup on your face to make you look tanned. Glinda bought a fake crooked nose for you, and I dressed you in servants' clothes."

"Your name is Ms. Fanny Smith," Glinda explained. "You have all the documents you need. You live in London. You're sixteen years old."

"What did you do to the real Fanny Smith - if this girl exists?" I wanted to know.

"Oh, nothing bad either. We dressed her in a scarlet gown, put a dark wig on her head and left her in the rosebush. Now, if you don't have any more questions, we'll leave you. The room's been paid for, you'll be sent to London tomorrow, so you have more than you deserve, human," Glinda and the Queen of Hearts left the room. I heard a key turning in the keyhole...

They locked me inside some hotel.

* * *

For some time, I had been running around the room in panic. But it didn't help me, of course, so I finally sat on the couch and said to myself:

"It's not all bad. You're in a hotel, not in a prison. Thus you have a window in the room. What's the window used for in emergency?"

I laughed and tried to open the window, but it was locked.

"All right, let Fanny Smith act badly for a second," I said, took the chair and smashed the window. The street was empty, but somebody in the hotel had probably heard the sound of shattered glass. People started running to the door of my room, angry shouts could be heard. I got out of the room through the hole and ran away as fast as I could.

* * *

The hotel was situated in some town in Cumberland. I found it out from the road signs.

I was able to leave the town quickly. Soon I was walking peacefully through the endless fields.

The police was searching for the girl who broke the window, so I've decided to get some of my real looks back. I found a river and washed away my tan, as well as the hair dye. The crooked nose, which was made of chalk, was thrown away and possibly shattered. I looked in the river and sighed. At least now I looked more like myself.

"What's the plan?" I thought. "Since I'm in Cumberland, maybe I should search for the prison where Mom, Dad, Walter and Basil are kept. What if I could set them free on my own?

"Glinda and the Queen of Hearts had perhaps gone right to that prison. What if I meet them? They'll certainly put me in the prison as well or refresh my disguise and send me to London under the name of Fanny Smith. But, on the other hand, what if they went somewhere else? I must try, anyway. Laura's aching to see Walter free again. And Mom, Dad, little Basil - they must be freed to..."

I had decided it. I started walking to Limmeridge, where the secret passageway to the prison was located. The question was: "Where is Limmeridge?"


	24. Spiders, horses and canaries

**Chapter 23. Spiders, horses and canaries**

Daphne's POV

I wandered around the fields until I came to another little town. I had no idea what town it was, but I entered it and asked the first man I saw there:

"I'm sorry! How can I get to Limmeridge?"

The man turned to me. There was something oddly familiar in his evil eyes and teasing voice:

"You better _not _go to Limmeridge, Daphne."

Uh-oh, I thought as I immediately started running away from him. It was a Scarlet Hand agent. Why do I always have to run into them? I heard this man's footsteps behind me, and he was accompanied by some other person. OH NO! Two of them! I glanced behind. The man's companion was a young pretty girl. She had sly green eyes and long blonde hair. Her eyes, actually, were a very ugly shade of green. Like the color of some frog... FROG!

I recognized the agents chasing me. Toby and Bella.

"Heeey, Daphne, I have made some friends in this world!" Toby called.

"You better surrender," Bella added. "Or you'll see something very disgusting for a delicate girl."

I continued running along the field road (we had exited the town already). Suddenly, thousands - no, millions, billions of black spidera surrounded me. Toby laughed evilly. I tried to run on the spiders, but there was a too great many of them. They climbed on my dress, to my hands. I squeaked.

"Act Two: Frogs and Toads!" Bella teased. And a large flock of amphibians came to the spiders' assistance. I screamed and ran away again. Toby and Bella chased me, laughing hysterically and commenting the bravery of their "friends". My gray dress was black with spiders. Toads sat on my shoes. I was desperate...

* * *

I had been running for several minutes. Bella and Toby were close to me, in a minute they would have caught me easily, because I was distracted by the horrible animals. But the good luck came at last! I saw a young man with two strong horses - a black one and a white one - walking by his sides. I ran to the white horse.

"Sorry, sir!" I said to the man. "I have to take your horse! Lady Glyde will send you the money a while later! What's your name?"

"J-Joseph Nolps..." the man replied, stunned. "But miss..."

I jumped on the horse and started riding away from Toby, Bella, spiders and frogs. The black horse turned and followed mine.

"Miss!" the man shouted. "What is it? What did you do?" He was able to catch the black horse, and jumped on it. Before I knew what in the world was happening, his horse had almost outrun mine. Now Toby and Bella were chasing their disgusting animals, the spiders and the frogs were trying to chase Joseph Nolps's horse, and Joseph Nolps was trying to find out what was everything for.

Finally, the enemies disappeared from the view. The black horse slowed down, and mine did the same.

"Ohhhh," Joseph Nolps caught his breath. "Now, miss, can you explain this mess?"

"These people are a members of an evil organization, which commits cruel crimes and terror," I hurried with the simplest explanation I could think of. "I'm a detective. My friends are trying to track these bad guys down."

"How did they command the spiders and the frogs?" Mr. Nolps wanted to know.

"They know some wizardry, as we suspect," I sighed. "Mr. Nolps, I have to hurry. I need to get to Limmeridge as quickly as possible. The money for this horse will be sent by Lady Glyde, a friend of mine. Oh, one more question. What is the horse called?"

"Snowflake," Nolps smiled. "But there's a problem, miss..."

"Grimm."

"Ms. Grimm. Charcoal - my male horse - is... er... very devoted to Snowflake, and he never wants to leave her. I'll have to go with you, or Charcoal will go without me, if you want." He talked about horses as if they were people. I said:

"Mr. Nolps, I think Charcoal should better... uh... go without you. No offense, but, you see, my work is very dangerous."

"All right, Ms. Grimm," Mr. Nolps said. "If you want to send the money or the horses back (it would be better), then here's my address. Joseph Nolps, Maple Leaves, Cumberland."

"You... you own an estate?" I asked.

"No, I'm only the nephew of the estate's owner," he laughed and prepared to get off his horse. "Goodb..."

On this very moment, Toby and Bella with their "friends" appeared not far away. Both Charcoal and Snowflake neighed in fright and stormed down the hill they were standing on. I had to concern myself on not falling on the ground. Mr. Nolps was feeling a little better: he rode horses better than I did. But even Mr. Nolps couldn't calm the scared horses down.

After an hour of endless gallop, I spotted the village of Limmeridge on the horizon.

* * *

**Blackwater Park, several hours later**

Sabrina's POV

Mirror was somewhere in his mysterious workroom. I don't know what he was doing there. Perhaps he was organizing the disaster that would collapse this world. I didn't have enough bravery to spy on _him_.

Laura didn't talk to Sir Percival at all. He was very sad with it, so he tried to please Laura. He ordered to cook her favorite ragout for dinner. He spoke to her with genuine kindness. He brought her favorite books from the library. Laura didn't react to any of these gifts. She rarely even talked with me. She was sitting in the central hall, staring into the walls, with tears in her eyes.

"Everything's not so bad!" I tried to comfort her.

"So bad..." she responded like the echo.

"I doubt that Walter will be killed!" I put on a fake smile.

"Walter will be killed..."

After ten minutes of such a conversation, I gave up and started brushing my hair. I didn't to it to comfort myself, I just did it to do something.

When I left Laura, Sir Percival started a series of attempts to cheer her up:

"Laura, what do you want?"

"Nothing."

"What's worrying you?"

"Nothing."

"Can I bring you anything?"

"Nothing."

That's the only word she said to him, so Sir Percival finally left his wife alone and asked me:

"Ms. Grimm, what presents can cheer Laura up a little?"

"I don't have the faintest idea," I said. "I've tried to comfort her, but I didn't succeed. She's desperate. When we lived in Limmeridge, though, she used to regain interest in her life after playing with the family dog. If she had a pet here - perhaps..."

"Thanks," and Sir Percival exited the room. Moments later, I looked in the window and saw him riding away in his carriage.

It was dreadfully boring in Blackwater Park: Laura was still not talking to me, I was wandering around the central hall. Suddenly, the postman came.

"A letter to Ms. Halcombe and Lady Glyde. From Todd's Corner, Limmeridge, Cumberland."

I snatched the letter, opened it and read:

_Dear Laura and Sabrina,_

_Mom, Dad, Basil and Walter will soon be free. No time to explain, sorry! But it's now CERTAIN._

_Daphne._

_P. S. Burn this letter._

After the postman departed, I showed the note to Laura and she smiled faintly - at last! Moreover, Sir Percival returned soon with a wonderful gift for Laura.

"Laura," he said. "Sabrina told me that you liked pets," and his servant brought a cage with four golden canaries inside. The last bit of Laura's sadness faded. She jumped happily and looked at the lovely birds.

"Oh Percival, thank you so much!"

Sir Percival smiled, but then he said:

"Laura, I can see that something else has already brought joy to you. Did you receive any..."

"No!" I snapped. Laura didn't answer: she was playing with the canaries. But when Percival finally went to his room, she whispered:

"Sabrina, don't think that I can be bought for any gifts - even for such wonderful little birds!"

I was glad to hear that.


	25. A dramatic plan of rescue

**Chapter 24. A dramatic plan of rescue**

Daphne's POV

When we saw the village, Mr. Nolps shrugged:

"Well, Ms. Grimm, I think it's a destiny. I'll go with you."

"All right," I said. "Now I need... what I need is... a proper plan. Mr. Nolps, have you any money with you right now?"

"I believe so."

"Enough to buy an envelope, a stamp, two sheets of paper and a pencil?"

"I think I can buy all this."

"Excellent. Buy it now, please," I begged. Nolps looked confused but nodded and rode to the village. Several minutes later, he returned with everything I needed.

I started to think of a plan to rescue my family and Walter:

"This Mr. Nolps is really unnecessary here. On the other hand, he can help. Besides, we also have two trained horses. So... Nolps doesn't know magic, and I'm a weak girl. I doubt we can defeat the prison's guards in a fight. We must out-trick them!" I thought. "I look myself now, and the Scarlet Hand knows me. But Joseph (I hope) is perfectly unknown to them! What if he goes to the guards and pretends to be a... let's say, a goblin in a human form?

"Let's assume that the guards believe him. He tells them about... me, Daphne Grimm, walking several hundred yards away, along with Sabrina and... eh... Uncle Jake. Let's assume, again, that they believe it. I'll leave Snowflake in some distance from the prison. They might think that it's not a horse, but three people standing close to each other. They go, leaving Nolps with the keys - I'll think of some way for him to get the keys. He opens the prison, and everyone goes free!

"At first, all of us saddle Charcoal, but Snowflake runs away from the Scarlet Hand very soon - that's because they frighten the horse a lot. So Joseph, Dad and Mom ride Charcoal; Basil, Walter and I ride Snowflake. We come to the passageway to our world, and my family, along with Walter, goes in there!"

I made some little details up, while Joseph waited patiently. I took a pencil and a sheet of paper and wrote:

_The Plan of Rescue._

_1. I show the secret passageway to the prison to Mr. Nolps._

_2. I leave Snowflake several hundred yards away from the prison and order her to wait._

_3. As for myself, I hide in the grass. It's high enough._

_4. Mr. Nolps rides to the prison and tells the guards he's a goblin called Frlwommpf_, I remembered Granny telling us that most of the goblins have unpronounceable names. _He also informs them that Daphne Grimm (me), Sabrina Grimm and Jacob Grimm are walking nearby - and he points to Snowflake. Then he tells the guards that he'll take care of the keys._

_5. The guards go and try to catch Snowflake. She runs away. I come to Mr. Nolps's assistance, and we open all of the prison cells._

_6. All of us ride Charcoal, until Snowflake comes back. Then the two horses bring us to the door between the worlds._

I used the second sheet of paper, the stamp and the envelope to write a short note to Sabrina and Laura. Joseph brought the letter to the post and returned to ask me:

"So, what are you going to do?"

I showed him the plan, he read it, and his eyes grew wide.

"What's all the foolishness? I don't even know how to act as a... goblin!"

"I'll teach you," I smiled. "First, try to pronounce the name of Frlwommpf."

"Flrowmf, Forlmpff, Fworlompf..." Joseph tried until he finally said the name properly.

"Good!" I praised him. "Now, try not to speak in your usual voice. Grunt."

That was the easiest part. When I told Joseph to grunt something, he grunted:

"Why in the world do I need to do all this?"

"You'll save the lives of countless people," I said the truth. "Finally, I need you to learn something about this evil organization."

Joseph rolled his eyes, but I showered him with information about the Scarlet Hand, Mirror and the rest famous members of it, the Everafter War, etc. etc. etc. He was scared by all this, but I urged him to learn everything by heart. Then I found a bush of raspberries and used them to paint a fake scarlet handprint on Joseph's jacket. He eyed it with disgust.

"You wanted to help me, so do it!" I snapped. "Let's get started."

* * *

**Blackwater Park**

Sabrina's POV

I thought I'd soon go crazy in here. I understand next to nothing in whatever's going on in Blackwater Park. Sir Percival is discussing something with Mirror in a low voice which I can't overhear. At the same time he's soft and gentle with Laura. Laura doesn't know whether to believe his kindness or not. She's scared of Mirror to death and she's still a little afraid of her husband.

Mirror spends most of the time in his workroom. What's he doing there? I haven't mustered all the bravery I have to find this out. Nothing bad has happened to me yet, and I don't know what Mirror plans to do with me.

Can anybody explain what I must figure out of all this mess?

The only hope is Daphne's optimistic note...


	26. Limmeridge Maple Leaves horse race

**Chapter 25. Limmeridge - Maple Leaves horse race**

Daphne's POV

"Let's get started," I repeated. "What is the Step Number One in our plan?"

Joseph looked it up and said:

"You must show me that secret passageway to the prison."

"Ah, of course," I said. "You know Limmeridge House estate, right?"

"I do," Joseph nodded.

"Walk to the northern gate to Limmeridge Gardens. Turn right and go to a small hill that has a hole in it. This hole is exactly the passageway."

"Oh, sounds creepy," Joseph mumbled. "But - well, the fate brought me to this adventure, so..." he laughed shortly. "Should I read the Step Number Two, Ms. Grimm?"

"Yeah, you'd better do just that," I replied. He read aloud:

"_I _- you, Ms. Grimm, I mean _- leave Snowflake several hundred yards away from the prison and order her to wait_."

I walked the white horse to the place about eight hundred yards north from the secret passageway.

"We have to make her look like three people standing close to each other," Joseph reminded me. I put some dirt and grass on Snowflake's saddle and sighed:

"Now she might be confused with Uncle Jake, Sabrina and me standing still together."

Snowflake wasn't exactly pleased with the camouflage, but Joseph whispered some calming words to her, and she didn't react to the dirt and grass at all. Joseph and I checked the Step Number Three. It was the easiest: I hid in a grass not far away from both the passageway and the horse. Finally, the real action had to start. Joseph and Charcoal rode to the passageway.

* * *

Joseph's POV

I stopped Charcoal near that mysterious hill with a gigantic hole. When I got off the horse, two ugly people unexpectedly went out of the hole.

"Who're you?" one of them roared. "How dare you to enter the Scarlet Hand Prison #2?"

"Fools!" I grunted. "I'm FRLWOMMPF, the new goblin guard! The glorious Master appointed me to this job. Didn't you know it?" My bold tone scared the guards, and the first of them started questioning me:

"Who described the main story of our Master?"

I silently thanked Daphne for telling me everything about all this Scarlet Hand thing.

"The Brothers Grimm."

"Er... Whom did Master grant with a job of the Mayor of Ferryport Landing?"

"The Queen of Hearts, of course!"

"Who's our main enemy?"

"Prince and the ex-Mayor William Charming and the Grimm family."

The guards were finally satisfied.

"What brought you here, Frlwommpf the goblin?" one of them, the one with a crooked nose, asked.

"I have excellent news!" I grunted. "There are the three most freaky members of the Grimm family," I gestured to Snowflake. "Sabrina, Daphne and Jake. They're wandering around like complete idiots!"

The second guard, whose right hand was missing, grinned evilly:

"Aha! But Frlwommpf, why didn't you catch them yourself?"

"I'm just a messenger. You have your weapons," I said matter-of-factly.

"Uhhhh, indeed," the crooked-nosed guard agreed. "So... we'll run and catch these three Grimms in a flash."

"Should we give the keys of the cells to Frlwommpf?" his friend asked.

"Better not..."

"But the Grimms can snatch the keys. They're excellent thieves. And we'll capture them in a minute."

"Well, you're right. Frlwommpf, take care of the keys," and the crooked-nosed guard handed me a key ring. I nodded and thanked them. They rushed to Snowflake, and Daphne immediately ran to my side.

"Oh, Mr. Nolps, you're a brilliant actor!" she laughed. "And they really lack brains!"

"Hush!" I said. "Let's work fast." I was terribly afraid. What if the guards returned? I almost regretted that I had agreed to take part in this rescue thing.

Daphne crept inside the hole. I could hear her happy squeals and the sounds of rusty keys turning inside the keyholes. Several voices echoed from inside the hole, and several people got out of it after some time.

I looked at them. A young man in his late twenties, with brown hair and dark eyes. A fair-haired, blue-eyed man with a face just like Daphne's. A green-eyed brunette. A redheaded tall boy. Everyone had minor scars and wounds, their clothes were dirty.

"Sit on the black horse - _this very moment_!" Daphne ordered. The rescued people were confused but followed the order. I saddled Charcoal too, and all of us rode away from the prison. Charcoal was fast as the lightning! I was proud of my horse.

"Now if only Snowflake manages to escape..." I thought. As we rode on and on, Daphne introduced everyone to me:

"Mom, Dad, Basil, Walter - this is Mr. Joseph Nolps, owner of the two horses. He helped me a lot with your escape! Mr. Nolps, the blond man is my father, Mr. Henry Grimm. The woman's my mother, Veronica. The boy's my brother Basil. And the young man is a good friend of mine, Mr. Walter Hartright."

"Pleased to meet you," I said. They showered me with thanks. Suddenly, I spotted a white figure running to us down a hill.

"Snowflake!" I exclaimed.

"And she's not alone," Daphne murmured. The guards were chasing Snowflake! They've found two brown horses somewhere, and they were riding them.

"We have to make it quick," I decided. "Charcoal, stop."

Snowflake reached us, and Basil Grimm, Daphne and Mr. Hartright jumped from one horse to another. We started riding again, but we lost a number of seconds. The guards got closer.

"We mustn't go to the passageway!" Mr. Henry Grimm shouted. "Nobody's ready to fight goblins!"

"Then where should we go?" Daphne shouted back. "Limmeridge?"

"Mr. Fairlie's nerves won't stand this disaster," Mr. Hartright said sarcastically.

"London?" Mrs. Grimm suggested.

"Too far, the horses are tired already!" Daphne shouted back. "Besides, there could be more agents of the Hand in London."

"So _where_?" Mrs. Grimm asked. Suddenly, I had an idea.

"We'll go to my uncle's estate!" I cried. "Maple Leaves estate! I doubt the Scarlet Hand knows the way to this estate, and the way is complicated but short. My uncle is a very nice man, and my cousins are soft-hearted too, so they'll give you a shelter for some time!"

"Great!" Daphne smiled.

"C'mon, Charcoal! We're going home! Make it fast!" I whispered in Charcoal's ear loudly.

Daphne understood that she'd better tell Snowflake the same.

"Snowflake, we're going home! C'mon!" she said.

The horses' gallop became incredibly fast. Oh, if only a horse could run this fast on the races!..

"I just wish it could happen..." I said to myself. "The Grand Horse Race! Limmeridge Estate - Maple Leaves! Everyone's invited." The irony helped me to regain self-control. I nearly started to panic in all this mess.

Charcoal and Snowflake were running - no, storming - to Maple Leaves. I hoped that the evil guard would lose our trail. But their brown horses were still visible. Fortunately, they were already far, far away from us.


	27. The good news

**Chapter 26. The good news**

Sabrina's POV

Some time had passed since we received Daphne's note. I was constantly guarding the letterbox, but Mirror was not worried about letters anymore. He was simply stuck in his workroom. Oh, if I only knew _what_ he was doing in there!

Finally, the postman came with a new envelope addressed to Laura. I glanced at the address of the sender. Hmmm… I had never seen it before in my life!

_Sir Edward Nolps, Maple Leaves estate, Maple Leaves village, Cumberland._

"Who's that?" I wondered. "Maybe an admirer of Laura's? She used to have admirers when she was unmarried and before she met Walter… But what if this Nolps is a Scarlet Hand agent? This is possible too."

I opened the letter and smiled, recognizing my sister's handwriting!

* * *

_Hello, Laura (and Sabrina, if you are reading this letter too)!_

_Don't worry about the unknown address. We're all safe. Mom, Dad, Basil, and Walter were rescued! A young man called Joseph Nolps helped me with the rescue operation, and since two VERY FURIOUS goblins started chasing us after it, he offered us a shelter in his house. Sir Nolps is his uncle and the owner of Maple Leaves._

_Mom, Dad, and Basil are going to the fort in the evening. We need the Scarlet Hand to lose our trail. Walter had decided to move once again: he's staying in Maple Leaves. It's relatively close to Blackwater Park._

_Laura, don't worry. Everyone is unharmed (well, not including several minor wounds)._

_Sabrina, try not to lose your memory! Mom, Dad, and Basil hope that you're all right in there. _

_Laura, Walter says he loves you more than ever._

_Take care of yourselves and send news to Walter. He'll deliver it to us._

_Loving and worrying about you,_

_Daphne._

_P.S. PLEASE BURN THIS LETTER!_

* * *

I squealed with delight, threw the letter into the fireplace and ran upstairs to tell Laura the news. On the stairway I almost slammed into Sir Percival and Mirror. They eyed me with suspicion and sarcasm.

"Why are you in such a great hurry?" Mirror asked.

I coughed and said:

"I... I caught a cold yesterday, and today I forgot to take my medicine."

"Oh, that's not a reason to run with such speed," Mirror smiled. "You're not dying, so a few more seconds of the delay won't risk your life."

I pretended to go along the hall of the first floor, but in fact I wanted to eavesdrop again. Sir Percival spoke to Mirror:

"Sir, it was a lie! She was perfectly healthy yesterday!"

"I'm not an idiot, Percival. But if we questioned her, we'd have learned nothing. Starfish can keep her mouth shut if necessary. I think she received some news from her sister."

"How can we find out the news, sir?"

"Unfortunately, we'll have to wait for the letter from the servants of mine... I have a feeling that the news are bad - for us. Sabrina was smiling when she was running, did you notice it?"

"Oh, yes, sir."

"Good. By the way, be more strict with your wife. I think she's not as silly as she seems."

"Oh, sir, how can Laura know anything about your organization?"

"Sabrina or Daphne might have told her."

"She'd have thought they were crazy, sir!"

"Well, I'm not so sure... We'll see. Even if your wife knows something, she's neither strong nor powerful. Therefore, she can't be a big danger for us. Sabrina is a hundred times as dangerous as her."

"Of course, sir. Now, if you excuse me, sir, I have a business meeting in the town in half an hour."

"Enjoy yourself on your business meeting. You won't have these anymore when this world ceases to exist," Mirror laughed. Percival started walking upstairs, and I ran to Laura's room.

* * *

Laura was feeding her canaries when I came inside.

"Hey!" I said with a smile, carefully closing the door. "I have excellent news!"

Laura turned to me:

"Sabrina, what is it? Is Walter all right?"

"He's free, Laura! My Mom and Dad and Basil were freed as well!"

"Oooh!" Laura hugged me, crying and smiling at the same time. "Where are they?"

"Currently they're in some estate, not far from here. Maple Leaves. This evening, my family's going back to the fort, and Walter's staying in Maple Leaves. He wants to be as close to you as possible."

Laura clapped.

"Wonderful! All is good!"

"No, Laura, not all is good. Your husband is alive and well, and - which is even more important - Mirror is alive and well. But don't worry, dear! We'll take care of Mirror and his crazy plans, and then we'll try to organize your divorce. We'll do what we can."

"I know!" Laura said. "The good news brought hope to me again!"

Even Laura's canaries sang and jumped joyfully, when they saw our happiness.

* * *

The dinner wasn't pleasant. I still ate nothing - I was afraid of poisons and magic, Laura and Sir Percival were pale and frightened, and Mirror was in deep thoughts. The canaries were the only cheerful residents of Blackwater Park.

Mrs. Michaelson carried the plates away. Every plate was full - nobody had eaten anything.

After dinner, Mirror didn't go to his workroom. He sat in the hall, still thinking. As the minutes passed by, Laura was getting more and more nervous. She hid her face in her hands and trembled. Sir Percival laid his hand on her head and spoke some soft comforting words to her, but she ignored it. Sir Percival, in fact, was frightened himself. I didn't feel too brave either.

Suddenly Mirror stood up and cheerfully announced:

"I'm going for a walk, for two hours, maybe longer."

He turned, called for a carriage and left the house. The three of us sighed with great relief. Laura's pale face turned rosy again, Sir Percival's nervous expression was replaced with a faint smile.

"At last," Sir Percival said. "He rarely ever leaves the house, so we might even celebrate it!"

"A nice idea," Laura agreed. "Sabrina, you ate nothing."

"Just as you did," I said. "I was scared of Mirror's magic potions."

"So maybe we'll call for a dinner once more?" Laura suggested. "Percival?.."

"Of course," her husband nodded.

The dinner was served in the garden. It was the happiest time of the day! For once, I didn't feel nervous or frightened or furious. Laura didn't seem heartbroken and she even talked nicely with Sir Percival. He was so happy with it that he allowed himself a couple of sarcastic jokes about Mirror.

We had four wonderful hours in Blackwater Park - until Mirror returned.


	28. The worldcollapsing machine

**Chapter 27. The world-collapsing machine**

Sabrina's POV

Mirror came late in the evening. It was obvious that he was in a terrible mood. He was frowning, and his fists were clenched. When Percival said "Hello, sir" in a _very respectful _voice and Laura curtsied, Mirror turned to them and suddenly spoke:

"Well, Percival, I've found out that you lied to me more than twice."

Mirror's voice was cold and even a little threatening. Laura trembled and ran to me. Percival stammered:

"S-s-sir, but?.."

"But - what? How can you explain it? I've found out that Walter Hartright knows everything about my Scarlet Hand - thanks to Daphne Grimm! Didn't you think he'd tell your wife about all this?"

"He didn't," Sir Percival said, glancing at Laura. Laura hid behind me, sobbing.

"Oh yeah, didn't he? Why would Sabrina Grimm come to Blackwater Park on her own?" Mirror shouted. He lost his temper for the first time in this universe; it was clear that he was furious, almost mad. "Why? I'm asking you, Percival!"

"She came as a spy!" Sir Percival exclaimed.

"Ha! She wouldn't come alone, you see, it's dangerous for her! She only came to protect your wife from us! She was aware that Laura knew everything! That's why she arrived! And _you_ knew - about your wife!" Mirror concluded. Suddenly, he snatched my hand and threw me away from Laura. I collapsed on the floor. My arm was surely broken by that villain. Laura blanched and shuddered. Mirror aimed his hand at her.

I saw the familiar sparkles of lightning forming on his fingertips.

Laura was standing still, struck and terrified. She knew she couldn't escape.

"You're going to pay for all," Mirror said coldly. I wanted to get up, but my back hurt. I gasped and fell on the floor once more.

Lightning appeared, and I heard thunder...

* * *

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER!" a terrible cry came from the other end of the hall. Sir Percival ran like the wind and stood between Mirror and Laura. Lightning appeared, I heard thunder. There was a short gasp, and Sir Percival fell down. Laura took the chance to run away and hide on the stairway. Meanwhile, I managed to get over the pain, jumped up, took a tea-kettle from the table and threw it at Mirror. I hadn't any other weapons.

Mirror didn't expect me to stand up after the injury, so the kettle hit him straight in the head, and he fell unconscious as well.

I rushed to Laura's side.

"Laura!" I ordered. "Run away as fast as possible. Take some money, get a carriage to Cumberland and call for help!"

Laura was having a hysterical fit. It would have been crazy to send her all alone to get help. On the other hand, I couldn't go either, because it was impossible to leave Laura alone.

By that time, the servants came to the place of the fight. I ran to Mrs. Michaelson:

"Mrs. Michaelson, please, save our lives! Get a carriage to Maple Leaves estate, go there, and call Walter Hartright to help us!"

"M-Miss... What?.. Is..." the housekeeper was confused and scared by the view of the ended fight.

"No time to explain, just do it!"

Mrs. Michaelson obeyed at last. I sent Fanny and another two servants to fetch a doctor for Sir Percival, who was still alive - I checked it.

Then I told Laura:

"Hide in your room, lock it from inside!"

Laura didn't respond, neither she did anything else: she was lying on the marble stairs and crying. I helped her on her feet and led her to her room. Of course I lost time, and Mirror had recovered by the time I left Laura.

He scared the remaining servants away with his lightning. I could smell smoke, which meant Mirror's weapons caused some real damage. For once, I was truly desperate. I was all alone, without even a kitchen knife to fight him. Laura was in hysterics. Sir Percival was obviously dying. I felt some respect for him now: he sacrificed himself for Laura, which meant - he sincerely loved her.

I had to run to my own room, close the door and think of something to do.

Suddenly, I came up with an excellent idea.

"Mirror is downstairs, which means his workroom is free!" I realized. "I can destroy his disastrous plans!"

* * *

I ran down the hall. Naturally, the workroom's door was shut and locked. But a locked door wasn't a problem for Sabrina Grimm! I found a hardwood chair and crashed it at the door. The door was a little damaged. I tried to hit it stronger, and by the fifth attempt, I made a hole large enough in it.

Mirror had probably heard all the noise. His footsteps echoed in the hall. I quickly crawled through the hole.

And what I saw!

* * *

In his workroom Mirror had been constructing a destroying machine. It was huge and complicated. Its iron details sparkled in the light of a small candle. It also had retorts full of random-colored liquids inside it. The liquids were bubbling.

I examined the machine closer and spotted something that looked like an electronic clock. It had two changing numbers on it:

_90... 89... 88... 87... _and so on. I tried to guess what was that.

"Can't you know why I'm not threatening you now?" Mirror's voice said from the door. I quickly turned around to see him standing calmly in front of me. He laughed and continued:

"Well, this clock counts down the moments to the collapsing of this world. The computers of it are programmed to do the collapse, but some people won't be harmed at all. I'll survive. Percival - or his dead body - will survive. That weepy blonde will survive, as his wife. You won't. I hope your sister had a chance to move to our world. She's not among the future survivors either..."

I gasped and turned back to the machine. Oh, how could I break it?

_70... 79... 78... 77..._

I took the hardwood chair and threw it at one of the retorts, attempting to break it. But the chair was hit with a bolt of electricity, and soon there was nothing but several handfuls of ash left of it. I started to panic.

Mirror laughed, watching my pitiful attempts.

_50... 59... 58... 57..._

"Less than a minute!" I thought desperately. "Oh no!.."

I hit the machine with the candle that was ablaze, but the candle was burned down with the electricity as well. It didn't burn the machine down, though. I looked around the room, searching for just anything helpful.

_40... 39... 38... 37..._

"Don't waste time, Starfish," Mirror said. "It won't help at all."

_35... 34..._

Suddenly, I jumped back into the hall and stormed down the stairs. I could barely think about anything I was doing. It was just a kind of instinct.

I snatched a coffee pot from the table (because the tea-kettle was shattered) and ran back upstairs.

When I got through the hole to Mirror's workroom, I glanced at the terrifying clock.

_10... 9... 8..._

Mirror tried to stop me. I tried not to drop the coffee pot.

_7... 6... _

I raised the hand with the pot to throw it at the machine.

_5... 4..._

Mirror wanted to make me drop the pot.

_3..._

I threw it! The next moment, I felt horrible pain, and the world darkened around me.

"Is it the collapse? Or did Mirror hit me?.." I thought, and then the complete darkness surrounded me.

* * *

**_CLIFFHANGER!_**

******To be concluded in the next few chapters.**


	29. Sir Percival's death

**Chapter 28. Sir Percival's death**

Laura's POV

After Sabrina left me in my room and locked the door, I immediately wished to get out of there. Sabrina was fighting Count Lancaster completely on her own, and Percival was lying in the hall, almost dead and perfectly defenseless. I sobbed. Percival actually loved me! I remembered his face, when he stood between me and the evil wizard Count, and when he was shot with lightning. I couldn't say I loved him back, but he was a true hero and he could have been our true friend...

Suddenly, five loud crashing sounds filled the air. I trembled. My canaries (Percival gave them to me...) were frightened nearly to death.

Then, I could hear Sabrina and the Count talking loudly. Sabrina ran somewhere - I heard her fast footsteps. And finally, a horrible "BANG-CRASH-SHHHH!" rattled my eardrums. I smelt smoke.

"What's that?" I cried. The canaries were trying to fly away. I opened the window and unlocked their cage, they escaped the room and vanished in the dark sky. I envied my poor birds. Oh, if only I could fly too!

I ran around the room like a crazy, called for help - nothing help. After five minutes of such despair, the wall of my room fell - and was burnt down by an enormous fire. I screamed and jumped out of the window.

"I can break my bones and become an invalid, but I won't die!" I thought.

I fell through the leaves of the tree that grew under the window of my room, so the falling wasn't so fast.

And while I was coming down to the ground... At first I thought it was a happy dream or a flashback... I heard Walter's voice.

"Goodness! Look, she's falling! Over there!.."

I closed my eyes, but different voices came into my ears. Daphne's voice. Mrs. Grimm's. Basil's. Puck's.

"Please don't haunt me before my death..." I begged. "Please don't haunt me..."

But a pair of strong arms caught me three feet away from the ground. I opened my eyes and looked up into Walter's handsome face.

"Walter?.." I squeaked.

"Laura, dear, Mrs. Michaelson came and told me everything! The army of Fort Charming was at Maple Leaves - can you imagine such a happy coincidence? We were planning future battles... I'll explain you later. Well, the wizards transported us straight here!" Walter kissed me on the cheek. "We saw the fire... Oh, where's Sabrina?"

"Sabrina's probably dead, she tried to fight Count Lancaster by herself," I sobbed. "Percival - he tried to protect me - the Count killed him..." I burst into tears.

Puck ran to us:

"Sabrina's dead? I can't believe it! We'll search for her now!"

"Calm down, sweetheart," Walter whispered. "The full army's here. Mirror's destined to be killed."

I half-closed my eyes. Walter carried me to a bench in the garden and laid me on it. A blue-haired woman with bluish wings gave me some medicines - I can't remember which exactly.

Many odd-looking people unleashed streams of water on the horrible fire. Puck led another group inside the unharmed part of the house. Walter sat near me, holding my hand.

I slowly fell asleep - or unconscious. Just my eyes closed and the world faded around me.

* * *

**Later**

I woke up. Walter was still sitting near me, and his smile was wider and happier:

"Laura, Sabrina and Percival are both still alive. Mirror is trying to escape, a special group is chasing him. Henry and Veronica are tracking down his agents. Everything's going to be all right."

I stood up and told Walter that I wanted to visit Sabrina and Percival. Walter walked me to a large tent, which looked like a tiny hospital inside. Two beds were standing there. Sabrina and Percival were lying on them: Sabrina had some small burns, a broken arm and a broken leg, and Percival had a bad burn on his chest.

Mrs. Sprat was taking care of them.

"Laura?" both of them said in unison. Sabrina's voice was cheerful, and Percival's was trembling and weak. I ran to them.

"I was saved by Puck - he carried me away from the fire. I wasn't hurt a lot, and anyway I'm getting better with every hour," Sabrina grinned. "Mrs. Sprat has a healing salve that does wonders indeed. My burns have almost disappeared, and the bones will recover in two days or so." Her voice became sad when she glanced at Percival and whispered:

"He's getting worse. Nurse Sprat can't save him."

I turned to Percival and took his hand.

"Percival," I cried, "please don't die."

"No, Laura," he breathed. "It's for the better. It's all for the better."

I burst into tears again:

"Oh, don't say it!.."

"Laura... you know it," it hurt the poor man to speak. "You'll marry Walter... I bequeath... my estate... and title... to both of you..." He managed to take a deep breath. I was crying desperately:

"You saved my life, Percival, you can't die!"

"Marry Walter Hartright," he whispered. "Laura, you'll be... happy with him... Now... I just have... to... say... that I loved you, Laura. Farewell..."

"No!.." I sobbed.

"I have a bad... burn... The Count will... pay for... it... I know... I don't worry about it... Farewell, Laura, dear..."

He closed his eyes and grew silent. I checked his wrist and felt no pulse.

"Mrs. Sprat!" I screamed. "Percival has died!.."

* * *

**Two hours later **

I was recovering from a breakdown. Thank goodness Walter understood me and didn't feel (or at least seem) jealous or angry.

"I'll respect his memory forever. He saved you, Laura," Walter said. "I can forgive anything for this."

Well, when I got a little better, Daphne asked me:

"Laura, do you know how the whole army with all the magic got into this universe."

"No," I said. "It was a true miracle! You came just in time!"

"I'll tell you how it happened!"


	30. The startling discovery

**Chapter 29. The startling discovery**

Laura's POV

"Oh, then tell me, please," I begged. Daphne started the tale:

"It's an amazing story, I wouldn't have believed it if I haven't witnessed everything myself. Walter and many of our friends have seen it too." Walter nodded, and Daphne continued:

* * *

"So, I'll start from the moment when all of us arrived at Maple Leaves estate. Joseph... Mr. Nolps, I mean, was very kind with us. He introduced us to his uncle Sir Edward (nothing like Mr. Fairlie - a pleasant clever old man), and his cousins Martin and Thomas. Everyone offered us a shelter, but Mom, Dad, Basil and I were soon going to leave for the fort.

"We had dinner, and Joseph, Martin, and Thomas started to choose horses for us to go to the door between the worlds. Suddenly, the whole world seemed to shake and tremble. I thought it was really going to collapse! We were almost sure that Mirror's evil plans had succeeded, when the shaking and trembling stopped.

"We were quite confused, but I hoped that you and Sabrina had sabotaged Mirror's plan. Walter suggested that we'd better go to Blackwater Park to check it, but Mom said:

"'Unfortunately, it won't help the situation. It will take many hours for you only to get there.'

"But, after some discussions, we decided that even in that case it would be better for us to reunite with Sabrina and you. You were absolutely alone here, after all!

"And then I spotted Charming's army of Everafters appearing on the horizon! I quickly saddled Snowflake and rode to them. Everybody was in their true Everafter forms. Nobody had turned into humans. I was startled and asked Charming:

"'How can you just walk around here? This universe can't stand magic!'

"Charming laughed and replied:

"'There are no Everafters in this world, but it _can _stand magic. Remember the Forgetful Dust that was given to Sabrina - it was magical! We've found out that our prisoners, the Scarlet Hand members, have lied to us: Everafters and magic _can_ exist here - in theory. Mirror ordered his followers to trick us in such way. So we - and first of all, you - wasted eight years, while we could have tracked and defeated the Hand long, long, long ago!'

"I was so happy! I was sure that now it was going to be all right. Then Puck pushed his way through the mob and cried:

"'How's Sabrina? Is she alive?'

"'I d-d-don't know,' I said. 'She's in Blackwater Park.'

"'Well, let's go there!' the Blue Fairy (the woman with blue hair, you've seen her) suggested. She transported everyone to Blackwater Park. Even the Nolps family insisted on going with us.

"As you well remember, Laura, we came to rescue you just in time!"

* * *

I was amazed a lot by the story.

"So this world can stand magic!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, that's what Charming has discovered, after torturing a stubborn Scarlet Hand captive."

"It's a miracle, as you called it yourself, darling," Walter said and kissed me. "A miracle that saved the lives of you and Sabrina."

The fresh feeling of sadness and loss came back to my mind.

"All of our lives - except for the life of Percival!" I cried. Daphne handed me a handkerchief and rushed away.

* * *

**Ten minutes later**

Sabrina's POV

Nurse Sprat was once again treating me with her variety of healing salves and dusts, when we heard Charming's loud announcement:

"_Attention, everyone! We've tracked down Mirror, and we're going on to capture him!_"


	31. The last battle

**Chapter 30. The last battle**

Sabrina's POV

I jumped up and said:

"I'm perfectly fine. Nurse Sprat, I think I'd better go."

"You still have painful burns!" the Nurse argued. "I won't allow it."

"Everybody is going to chase Mirror – and I'll be lying here and doing nothing?" I cried. "Look, even Laura's following everyone else, and she's not exactly the bravest one. I'm not afraid of Mirror – I've sabotaged his plan, so I can defeat Mirror himself!"

"Well, be careful…" the Nurse surrendered. "Just be careful!"

I ran out of the medical tent and rushed after the whole army.

"Oh, ugly, you're joining us after all!" Puck smirked.

"Of course I am!" I said, annoyed.

"You need protection, remember?"

"Duh! I can defend myself!"

"Not with these burns," Puck said.

I was preparing an answer for this fairy boy, when people in front of the crowd suddenly started shouting:

"We can see Mirror! Over there! We see him!"

Puck and I forgot about our pointless argument and ran over to join everyone. I heard thunder in the air, and several flashes of electric light blinded my eyes. Mirror was threatening us with his usual weapon.

"Blue Fairy, make a defense barrier!" Charming cried. A blue fog appeared between Mirror and our army, and Mirror stopped shooting lightning.

"If seven of you stand against me, I won't use the lightning!" Mirror shouted. "The fight will be fair. We'll use only non-magical things: swords and our fists. Who's brave enough?"

"I'll go," I said. "Mirror hurt me, my friends and many innocent people."

"You need protection," Puck repeated. "I'll go too."

"If Mirror breaks his own rules, I'll be needed," the Blue Fairy said.

"If Mirror breaks his own rules," Mirror mocked. "Who else? Or should I fight the three of you?"

"No, I'll fight against you!" Daphne said. "Am I weaker than my sister is?"

"I think I'll join the fight," a man unknown to me stepped forward.

"Mr. Nolps, it's dangerous!" Daphne exclaimed.

"I don't mind it. I've fought with rabid horses," the man shrugged. "I can fight with a rabid person."

"That leaves two more people..." I said aloud.

"Me!" Walter said firmly. Laura ran to him and took his hand, but he sighed and said:

"Laura, you can't fight. You don't know fighting at all."

"Then don't fight yourself, please!" Laura begged. "I've lost my husband, and now I may lose my beloved!"

"You won't lose me. I promise you," Walter smiled. "But we need the last fighter..."

"Did you forget _me_?" Charming said sarcastically. "I'd have been a good leader if I watched the fight but didn't take part in it!"

"Seven fighters," Mirror said. "All of you!"

* * *

We stepped through the defense barrier. Puck was the first one to attack Mirror, using his wooden sword, but Mirror's sword (or was it a kitchen knife from Blackwater Park?) cut Puck's in two and nearly cut Puck's hand as well. Fortunately, Puck ran away. I took a sharp rock from the ground and threw it in Mirror's face, but missed the target. Mirror snatched the rock and threw it at Daphne, while also trying to hit Charming.

A furious fight started.

I couldn't believe that one man was able to defeat seven people, but Mirror wasn't a normal human. Soon, he hit my head for the third time in a day, but Puck managed to call his pixies and order them to bring bandages.

"No magical weapons!" Mirror snapped.

"That's not a weapon!" Puck shouted. "I want to heal Sabrina's head!"

However, soon Mirror took a stone and managed to slam it in Joseph Nolps's face. The man groaned, as blood appeared on the wound. Daphne's eyes became wet with tears:

"You can fight only innocent powerless people!" she yelled.

When Charming's sword fell on the ground from the Prince's bleeding arm, I started to suspect something was wrong.

"Blue Fairy!" I gasped. "The magic detect..."

I never had a chance to finish, since Mirror turned to hit me. Luckily, the Blue Fairy understood me and took a magic detector out of her dress's pocket. It wasn't long before she shouted with triumph:

"Mirror, you broke the rules! You've drunk the Water of Strength! Well, fine!"

She took out a glass vial of water out of her purse and threw it at Mirror. Mirror stood in shock. The vial broke, and water streamed down his face. Suddenly, Mirror let out a short gasp and collapsed on the ground.

All of us applauded.

"Awesome!" Puck said. "What was the liquid?"

"He used the Water of Strength, and I used the Water of Weakness," the Blue Fairy laughed and made the defense barrier fade. "He's dead, don't worry. His heart became too weak to beat and his lungs were too weak for breathing."

We slowly acknowledged our happiness.


	32. Epilogue

**I FINISHED IT! AT LAST!**

**Epilogue**

**10 years later**

**The lives of our favorite characters:**

**Of Sabrina Grimm**

Puck proposed to Sabrina Grimm only a week after the Scarlet Hand was defeated completely. They got engaged and married less than a year later. Now they already have a daughter called Laura. Laura, the Crown Princess of Faerie, has inherited her father's wings, her mother's looks and her great-granny Relda's character.

* * *

**Of Granny Relda**

Granny Relda was released from the Scarlet Hand's prison when Charming's army returned from another universe. It was found out that Mirror didn't want a feeble body for a dangerous campaign, so Relda has been set free of him by the most powerful of Mirror's followers long ago.

After this adventure, she's grown very weak and now uses a wheelchair.

* * *

**Of Daphne Grimm**

Daphne Grimm, the former girl in scarlet, hasn't forgotten about her friends in another world. The door between the universes was kept open, and Daphne continued to visit that world once or twice a week.

She has become quite close with Joseph Nolps, who had once rescued her from the Hand. So nobody was surprised when Joseph asked her to marry him, when she was eighteen. Daphne happily accepted, but she didn't know where they would live. She could move to Maple Leaves estate or Joseph could move to Ferryport Landing.

After many discussions, Mr. and Mrs. Nolps decided to live in Daphne's homeland. Joseph wasn't the heir of Maple Leaves, and the estate was too small even for his cousins' families.

Now Joseph and Daphne live in the Grimms' house, with their son Cyril. Joseph isn't so sad about being away from home, because the family naturally comes to Maple Leaves for visits.

* * *

**Of Walter and Laura, as well as of Mrs. Michaelson, Fanny Smith, and Mrs. Clemens**

Laura, Lady Glyde, spent a whole lot of money on constructing a monument to her first husband. She even insisted on mourning him for a year and a half before marrying Walter Hartright.

Since Sir Percival bequeathed his title and estate to Walter, nobody accused Lady Glyde of marrying a poor man who didn't deserve to marry her.

Now Baronet Walter Hartright, the owner of Blackwater Park, is a world-famous painter. He and his wife have two sons, Walter and Percival, and a newborn daughter, named Anne Daphne. The former housekeeper of Blackwater Park, Mrs. Michaelson, still works there, but now as a governess. The new housekeeper is Fanny Smith.

Mrs. Clemens, who had worked as a grocer, is a nanny in Blackwater Park as well. Laura remembered about this kind old woman, Daphne's good friend, and employed her when little Anne Daphne was born.

* * *

**Of Mr. Fairlie**

Mr. Fairlie's nerves suffered greatly when he was told that there was no Marian Halcombe, and also that Sir Percival Glyde had died. Mr. Fairlie complained about clever impostors and stupid assassins for more than a year, and he calmed down only when Laura got married for the second time and life went back to normal.

Mr. Fairlie is still alive and perfectly well, but he's sure he's going to die soon. His will is ready, and he proudly reads it aloud to every visitor who'd come to Limmeridge.

* * *

**Of everybody else**

Everyone got their happy ending.

THE END


End file.
